When Rachel Met Jesse
by broadwaybuff
Summary: If you thought Lionel Richie was the joining force that first brought them together, think again.  An evolution of Rachel and Jesse's 'not-quite' relationship, leading up to that fateful moment in the music store. And so it begins...
1. Mercy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, it's characters, or Jesse St. James' ultra sexiness. (**_**Damn it)**_

**Summary: If you thought Lionel Ritchie was the joining force that first brought them together, think again. An evolution of Rachel and Jesse's 'not-quite' relationship, leading up to that fateful moment in the music store.**

**Pairing: St. Berry. Fresh and juicy.**

**Rating may change as story progresses.**

**Author's Note: I thought about how it was supremely possible that our favourite pair may have "somewhat" known each other before the music store duet. Laced with humour, teen-stalker-like tendencies, espionage and sexual tension... I hope you guys enjoy my first multi-chaptered St. Berry piece. Reviews are love.**

**WHEN RACHEL MET JESSE**

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Rachel Berry was not a stalker.

At least that was what she told herself whenever she oh-so-innocently "found her laptop turned on at Jesse St. James' Facebook profile without her knowing how it got there" every so often.

_Right._

Well, she was sure she wasn't just some crazed, neurotic fangirl of his.

Okay, she wasn't _anymore_.

Perhaps starting at the beginning would help. Because the concept of "self-explanatory" with Rachel never really served anyone much good. At least not to anyone who actually cared enough to understand what her _deal _was.

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"Are you s-s-sure this is a good idea?" came a meek voice from behind as Rachel trudged forwards down the hallway.

She looked over to the source. "Tina, I know that little run-in back there doesn't quite qualify as a confidence booster on our part, but rest assured, I am one hundred percent positive that..."

"The girl heaved out half her lunch and what seemed to be partially digested steroid pills, Berry," Kurt interjected, his voice dull as he referred to Andrea Cohen, whom they left outside to continue her throwing up.

"Yeah, forget 'confidence booster'. That was straight outta some crazy Eli Roth _twisticality_," Mercedes joined in, raising an eyebrow as she peered across from Kurt to the brunette ingénue.

Rachel huffed, furrowing her brow. "First of all, _that_ is not a word," knowing full well her glee club teammate knew which one, she uttered pointedly to Mercedes, who shot her an exasperated stare. They stopped by the double doors of the auditorium. "Secondly, if we want Dakota Stanley, we can't let a little stress-induced regurgitation scare us off," she continued, her voice escalating a pitch as they made their way into the hall.

Quinn rolled her eyes. She didn't know which one she despised more... "genuinely bubbly man-hands" or this "faux-cheery desperado".

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"_**Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!**_"

And positions, then BAM! Head bow.

Rachel let out a long drawn breath. The one she had been holding in ever since she watched them shuffle on stage, clad in their signature blue and black ensemble.

The colours her bruised ego was at the moment.

She jumped a little in her seat at the voice on the far end of the stage.

"GET OFF MY STAGE!" a tiny man barked and Rachel could swear she saw a vein bulging in his forehead, even from as far away as she was sitting. Vocal Adrenaline got the message and began to run off the said stage.

"ST. JAMES! YOU STAY!" he pointed a demanding finger to a figure that slowed his steps to a stop before making his way back to centre stage. Rachel went back to not breathing.

_Jesse-freakin-St. James._

To think she was excited over a fatigued Andrea Cohen, unceremoniously heaving her guts out...

"_This is Jesse St. James! Holy mother of..."_

"Yes, sir?" his deep voice boomed, interrupting Rachel's internal hyperventilation. To say that she knew who he was simply by reputation would be putting it lightly...

"AS CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM, MAYBE YOU OUGHT TO KNOW THAT YOU PEOPLE SUCKED MORE THAN A TIJUANA WHORE!"

"_That's right. Jesse St. James, captain of __only__ the best show choir in the area, lead the team to multiple national championships and... wait, what? Sucked? WHORE?" _Rachel's thoughts trailed off as her head snapped in the direction of the choreographer.

Jesse stood there, feet apart, hands behind his back and stared straight ahead. Militant.

"No kidding, sir," the captain answered, his voice resonating with the same power as it did before. Only this time, one could clearly sense the sarcasm laced within.

Raising her eyebrows, Rachel found herself leaning forward in her seat whilst placing her hands on the seat in front.

"TWENTY, ST. JAMES!"

Without a shred of hesitation or further attitude, the guy dropped down on his hands and insteps, doing what he was ordered to do.

Rachel stared at him in fascination. She watched his biceps ripple and work as he began his push-ups, pumping up and down quickly as if he did this on daily rotation. Her eyes trailed to his wavy, brown hair, which seemed to appear tousled from slaving all afternoon. She couldn't see his face properly, seeing as she was seated so far at the back of the auditorium along with her teammates (right, she almost forgot about them).

Not that she hadn't seen his pictures before... but, she really wanted to observe him up close. Before she knew it, he had clambered to his feet and resumed his original position. His broad shoulders rose and fell rapidly from the work out directly _after _the work out.

"_This guy's an android. Right, that would explain everything," _Rachel thought to herself in awe. He was so... impressive. And he had barely said two sentences in her presence. She mentally slapped herself for getting so worked up.

"NOW STOP SWEATING ALL OVER MY STAGE AND BEAT IT!"

Even from her position, Rachel could make out the smirk on his face as he began to saunter off stage. She felt her heart swell traitorously just a little. She was, after all, in the presence of a fellow superstar-in-training. The experience was overwhelming her a little and _"Oh crap!"_

He was looking over in her direction.

Without really thinking, Rachel sunk lower in her seat. And in just that split second, his gaze had absent-mindedly wandered over to her before he disappeared from sight completely.

"Earth to _super spaz_?" Santana's irritated voice suddenly became coherent to the dazed brunette. Rachel automatically stood up, turning quickly to face the rest.

"Dakota's leaving. It would be nice to actually make _something _of this little visit," Quinn drawled, obviously bothered by the fact that Vocal Adrenaline were insanely out of this world. Sure, she may not give two rats' asses about New Directions... but, it hurt her pride that VA were so much more better than them. And it hurt her **ego** that she felt like she was on the losing team. Embarassing, much?

"Right," Rachel mumbled as they began to shuffle out to the aisle.

"Wipe that flush off your face, Berry," Kurt uttered softly, appearing beside her.

"What?" eyebrows raised, she snorted at the effeminate, young boy's snarky tone.

"St. Sexy over there is definitely GQ-cover material. But being hot and bothered for the sworn enemy is so _cliché_," was all he replied before walking off to the rest of the group at the front.

Rachel said nothing in return as she felt a secret smile creep onto her already warm face.

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**Author's Note: And so it begins... Don't forget to review! ;)**


	2. Bruise

**Disclaimer: I do not own '**_**Kansas City Choir Boy**_**'**

**Author's note: Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and awesome feedback. You have no idea how much I appreciate being appreciated, haha. **

**I'd just like to mention that this chapter centres around some good, old-fashioned teenage sexual tension. So, be forewarned that certain "feelings" and language may arise. Nothing insanely offensive. Just certain things that I think are relatable. **

**If you haven't watched Jonathan Groff's performance with Betty Gilpin of a song from 'Kansas City Choir Boy' at Joe's Pub... you should. You won't regret it.**

**Also, see if you guys can spot the Gossip Girl reference ;)**

**Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!**

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It had been a day or two since the 'Dakota Stanley fiasco' and Rachel was still brimming with pride and confidence over how she and the rest of the glee club stood up for their respective selves to the evil oompa-loompa.

Perhaps that was the delusion and overall high of that fact was why she found herself in the wrong part of town.

_Okay_, that was an exaggeration. She was really at a not-so-nearby pub that was hosting an open showcase for the local plays. Sort of like preview night for community theatre.

She was there alone, harnessing her recently amplified boldness to good use.

_And... _she didn't want anyone to know that she craved to catch another glimpse of Jesse St. James (whom had posted the aforementioned event on his Facebook profile) in person again.

Rachel didn't feel like she was betraying the glee club, not at all. Was it so wrong that she found Jesse's immaculate talent so wonderful it could (almost) rival hers? Was it so wrong that she simply wanted to observe him? It wasn't like she would leak their set lists out at the snap of his fingers. Hell, they didn't even know each other to begin with! What could possibly be the harm?

"What'll it be, kid?" a hoarse voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Um... could I have some bottled water, please?" she spoke a little louder to overcome the noise of the bar. Seated demurely by the counter, Rachel couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she looked around to the pulsating life around her. Theatre people (_Community _Theatre... but, still).

"Bottled water's on me," came a voice from behind the young brunette.

Rachel turned to see a blonde girl with curls sit beside her. Before she could react, the girl prattled on. "It's always great to see a new face come around to support the local talent. Hi, I'm Peyton," she explained with a cool smile, offering her hand to shake.

"Rachel Berry. It's nice to meet you," came her answer as she grinned brightly to the new acquaintance, pleased that she now had someone to talk to. Shaking her hand firmly, Rachel continued, "So this is a regular thing?" she gestured to the atmosphere around her.

"Once a month or so, yeah. Here... this is for you," Peyton reached into her sling bag, retrieving a colourful brochure. Taking it with an uttered "Thank you", Rachel looked it over. At that point, the bartender had come back with her bottled water.

"I'm sorry to say I've never attended one of these before. I should put this up on the bulletin board back in my school," she looked up to the blonde girl earnestly.

"That'd be great! We get a lot of college-goers around here. A whole new crowd would be fantastic to add to the mix. Though, one of the showcases tonight is featuring a regular of ours..." Peyton leaned forward and tapped a manicured finger on the image of a face in the brochure. "... Jesse. He's still in high school himself. A senior," she continued, nodding.

And once again, Rachel found herself unable to carry out basic respiratory action.

"Jesse St. James," the impressionable, young girl breathed as she eyed his picture. It was of his face, smiling at something in the distance. There was a short summary of the showcase he was in and she made out that it was entitled _'Kansas City Choir Boy'_.

"You know him?" Peyton arched an eyebrow as she took a sip of her beer.

Rachel hesitated. "Only by reputation," she chose her words carefully, satisfied with how they came out. She missed the amused smile that began to form on the blonde's lips. "And _which_ reputation is that exactly?"

Rachel looked up from the brochure, furrowing her brow a little in question. "What do you mean?"

Out of nowhere, the bartender from awhile ago appeared once more. Apparently, he had been listening in on their conversation. "Let's just say Jesse once went to _the Virgin Islands_. They are now called _the Islands_," he smirked, wiping a mug with a dishcloth.

Rachel's eyebrows shot up as Peyton laughed loudly at his two cents. "Put a lid on it, Tom. Jesse's not like some creepy de-virgin-izer from a random CW show or anything. He's just a straightforward guy," Peyton offered, shaking her hand dismissively to 'Tom' the bartender as she turned to Rachel.

The brunette was about to open her mouth to laugh nervously at how random people were painting the guy she'd been googling (in a relatively non-sexual way) for the past few days in such a light.

Tom quickly interjected. "Yeah, _straightforward_. He doesn't even use pick-up lines. He just says 'Now'." At that, Peyton rolled her eyes with a groan.

"Somehow, I think you're in the wrong line of work, Tom. You should have your very own sitcom or maybe even a spot on _'Last Comic Standing'_," came the brunette's reply as she gave a light laugh. Rachel shrugged off his raucous comments about Jesse, thinking he was only exaggerating.

He **HAD **to be, right?

"Who says I'm joking?" he winked to her with a little smirk before heading to the other side of the bar to get another round of orders. The words hung in the air before Peyton quickly broke the silence.

"Pay no attention to Tom. If you hadn't met me yet, he'd tell you that I'm the HBIC around here," she took another sip of her beer.

"HBIC?" Rachel arched an eyebrow.

"Head _Bitch_ In Charge," the blonde answered, obviously regarding herself as anything _but_ that of a female dog.

Well, Rachel at least agreed with her.

As the music grew softer to an end, Peyton somehow took that as her cue to leave, considering she had tons of other acts to facilitate. She got up from her seat. "Tom was only talking half-truths about Jesse back there..."

Rachel caught on to the '_half_' part in that sentence.

"... One rumour that's for sure is, y'know... Jesse does have a _huge..._" the blonde's voice trailed off as she watched the high schooler's eyes widen slightly, betraying a shred of subconscious innocence.

"... talent," Peyton smiled knowingly for Rachel's benefit before letting out a short chuckle as the lights dimmed. "Enjoy the show!" she continued, nodding to the stage before disappearing into the crowd.

Rachel frowned. "_How could something as obvious as Jesse's __talent__ be deemed a rumour? His enormous __talent__ was practically shoved down everyone's throats whenever he performed..." _she thought to herself, her naiveté getting the best of her. Oh, Rachel... if she only knew how unwittingly X-rated she could really be.

As she contemplated her thoughts, she almost missed the introduction of the two actors from '_Kansas City Choir Boy'_ on stage. She turned in her seat, getting a perfect view of the said stage.

The lights came on and she immediately recognized him even with his back turned to the audience. Faint music began to play in the background as he turned to his side to face the girl who was sitting on a chair.

"_**I've decided,**_" he began, his voice as smooth as melted butter. Pausing, he stared down to the seated girl who tentatively returned his gaze.

"_**Finally,**_" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper and yet, still managing to pull in the audience seductively with that dangerous voice of his.

"_**Finally,**_" he repeated, this time with a tad more intensity, causing the girl onstage to squirm in her seat as she watched him.

Silence.

Then...

"_**To get a tattoo,**_" he ended, the music picking up once again as the crowd somehow took that as a humorous line, laughing a little.

"_**A tattoo?**_" the girl arched an eyebrow, smirking in amusement.

"_**Yeah,**_" came his short answer, his face still serious even as a dark smile began to tug on one corner of his lips.

"_**What will it be?**_" she asked gingerly, casting her eyes downwards with a shrug before letting out an innocent, little giggle.

He licked his lips. "_**It's gonna be...**_" trailing off, he never once broke eye contact with the girl.

"_**A bruise**_," he answered, earning another round of light laughter from the crowd. With that he moved a chair out of the way, taking a few steps to her sitting form.

Kneeling down, he placed a hand between her thighs. "_**Right here**_," he breathed.

At that point, Rachel had absent-mindedly spilled her drink onto her blouse, never taking her eyes off of them.

Back on stage, the girl jumped a little at the contact as they stared at each other.

"_**Black and blue...**_" they sang together into their respective microphones before trailing off once more. They simply stared at each other. The heat of Jesse's gaze was so intense, even the young ingénue in the slightly wet blouse by the bar could feel it. The girl on stage seemed to breathe a little heavily before casting her eyes downwards shyly.

He smirked, rising slowly to his feet. "_**A bruise... in the shape of your mouth**_," his smoky voice complemented his smouldering gaze as he smiled lightly down to the girl who looked up to him with wide, lust-filled eyes.

Moving behind her, his hand trailed her shoulder before coming to kneel on her other side. He steadied her nerves, placing a hand on her shoulder to do so.

"_**And here...**_" they sang together, holding each other's gaze as Jesse ran a hand along her stomach.

"_**And here...**_" he ran his hand up her calf to her knee.

"_**And here...**_" his hand continued their journey to her inner thigh as a smile formed on the young rogue's face.

Rachel watched the scene unfold, lips slightly parted as she blatantly ignored everything else but the sound of his voice and his beautifully dangerous... attraction. But, nothing prepared her for what she was about to witness next.

He licked his lips as he placed a hand on one side of the girl's neck. He then leaned in and placed his lips over hers slowly as the music rose to the percussionist's solo.

It accompanied Rachel's rapid heartbeat as she let out a shaky breath, watching him run his tongue over the girl's own. His hand went to the back of the girl's neck, deepening the kiss as they further engaged themselves in a somewhat 'slow motion' lip-lock. The slow, sensual pace of the kiss only gave the audience better view of their battling tongues as they kissed each other senseless.

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal in several states," Tom appeared beside Rachel as he too seemed consumed with the performance.

Rachel ignored him, feeling a little light-headed. She blinked slowly to get rid of the glazed-over look in her eyes as she steadied her breathing. This was not good for her. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about his lips, his tongue, his sex appeal... she wouldn't be able to stop after tonight.

What began as just fascination over his leadership and talent had now escalated into something... something that gave her a warm, funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something dangerous and risky and... _bad_. Wasn't she supposed to be in hot pursuit of someone else? Ooh... she was in trouble.

"_**Baby... Make me your ... constellation...**_" the two had broken apart with her smiling giddily and him returning it with a cool stare as their voices meshed together, ending the song.

The lights then shut off as the crowd applauded enthusiastically. It took a while for Rachel to gather her bearings and remember to clap as well. She was feeling flustered and thought that it'd be best to head to the bathroom and wash her prickling face.

_What_ was her _deal_?

That thought kept running through her mind as she shook her head and got up from her seat. Perhaps this dazed state of hers contributed to the furtherance of her bad luck as she turned only to meet with a pitcher of beer that spilled completely onto her front.

She squeaked, her jaw dropping as she caught a glimpse of the 'just-as-shocked' waitress who froze as the brunette too froze. The sound of the said waitress' profuse apologies were heard as a faint buzzing as Rachel attempted to smile with dignity, shaking her head as if it were alright and that all she needed to do was find a bathroom.

A busy, full-housed pub and the want of a bathroom? Think again.

The line was too long and Rachel couldn't help but feel like throwing a diva fit and crying at the same time. But, she wouldn't. Her 'What Would Barbara Do?' mentality kept her grounded as she rationally decided to wait for the crowd to thin out a little. So, she went to sit at a relatively empty couch nearby the bathroom. Resting her chin on her propped up hand, she kept throwing the crowd by the bathroom a few wary looks. Maybe she should just go home...

It was at that moment she felt the couch cushion shift a little. Not thinking much about it, Rachel looked over to see who it was. Her heart leapt at her throat.

Jesse St. James leaned into his seat, eyes closed as he breathed calmly.

And it was at that moment Rachel Berry, in her soaked lacy white blouse and navy blue nautical skirt, realized...

She suddenly felt very, very naked.


	3. Unstoppable

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Main Event**_**.**

**Author's Note: I would like to mention many, many thanks to those who reviewed. You guys keep me going. ****You all**** are really the reason Jesse stays sexy and Rachel keeps being adorable. Thank you so much.**

**This chapter features a nice little evolution in the Rachel-Jesse interaction. It's always good to see progress. Though the chapter is pretty short, I still hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Just a heads up: This chapter gets a little... steamy... to put it lightly. So, be forewarned of language and sexy situations.**

**And let's see if you guys can point out the Barbra Streisand reference!**

**Enjoy and don't forget to review.**

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"_This cannot be happening to me,_" Rachel thought to herself stiffly.

She was drenched in beer and her pride was hurt... to top it all off, Jesse St. James was resting comfortably in the seat beside her.

Lady Luck was really laughing her ass off at the poor brunette right now.

Rachel sat up right, hands clasped primly in her lap as she focused on keeping her cool.

Twiddling her thumbs, she kept looking over to him. His eyes remained shut as he maintained his position.

She sighed softly, tearing her eyes off of him.

The mysterious senior turned to look at her. His eyes drifted to her drenched body.

Feeling someone's stare on her, the young sophomore slowly looked back over to meet with her couch buddy's gaze. She felt her breath hitch in her chest as an unspoken question flashed in his eyes. He glanced once more to her soaked shirt.

His intense gaze made her feel stripped down to her underwear (_flowered _underwear she now regretted terribly). Rachel felt her cheeks heat up. She was somewhat thankful for the darkness of the atmosphere, so he wouldn't be able to see how much she wanted to kill herself in that moment.

The silence between them was really getting to her, so she burst out with the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm not a raging alcoholic."

Watching him arch an eyebrow, Rachel had no idea why she went and said _that_ of all things. She mentally slapped herself. There was _nothing _she could say to salvage the situation... so, she just barrelled on, thinking that that was the wisest choice to make for the time being.

"The waitress, I mean. She got me all wet..." her eyes widened slightly, not wanting him to think she was a random ho trying to entice him with her innuendos, "... and NO! 'All wet' in a strictly non-sexual way, of course!" she continued quickly before deciding to shut up. Most probably the best choice she had made the entire night, in her opinion.

He seemed distracted by the cellphone in his hand as it kept blinking and vibrating, so he kept turning to see what it was. Irritation seemed to surface on his features as he read what looked to be text after text after text. Yes, Rachel was observant. And she wasn't necessarily proud of it.

So, they sat there in silence. She kept mentally abusing herself, enraged by the fact that the first thing she had said to him her entire life was about alcohol and sex.

Bravo, Rachel. Bravo.

"It doesn't seem like the end of the week," his deep voice suddenly broke into her thoughts.

Holy _God_.

"Well... it's actually a Thursday," she answered carefully as she looked over to him once more. He furrowed his brow lightly as his hazel eyes met hers again.

_Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod..._

"Yesterday was Wednesday... and tomorrow's Friday... I know tomorrow's Friday because I have a Chemistry test that I _should _be studying for... tomorrow," oh dear God, she couldn't stop. "And yesterday was Wednesday because we tend to drag rehearsals out a little longer than usual during the middle of the week..." her voice trailed off.

Jesse stared at her, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.

Silence.

"So... that's how I know," she added lamely, forcing herself to look away from his amused/confused/surprised expression.

If she could just round up all those retarded sentences of hers, she would beat herself to death with it.

Jesse turned to his cell phone, snapping it shut. Seemed that he was ignoring an incoming call. He leaned back in his seat and went back to shutting his eyes, this time in exasperation.

Rachel silently began to study his features (after all, when would she have the opportunnity to observe him _this_ up-close again, right?). His full lips, his defined cheekbones, the cleft in his chin, his strong jaw, his soft, wavy almost-bronze hair...

"Jesse, we've been calling you all night, man!" came a harsh voice, snapping Rachel out of her reverie as it caused her object of observance to open his eyes.

They both turned to look at a young boy (younger than both of them), fidgeting nervously with the zipper of his jacket as he stared at Jesse.

"Really? I didn't _get _that throughout the nine-hundred-fucking-thirteen messages you people left me while I was on stage," the senior answered coolly, though one could clearly sense the dangerous edge in his voice.

The boy hesitated before responding. "S-s-sorry, Jesse... it's just... the eggs are in the car and..."

"Come on," Jesse muttered indifferently, obviously trying to put the guy out of his misery. He got up from his seat. The boy nodded vigorously before hurrying off.

_Eggs? What? Is he in a baking class or something?_

Rachel heard him mutter something along the lines of "fucking _pointless_" as he brushed past her. Frowning curiously, she watched him go.

He looked over his shoulder at the last second, sending her a brief smile.

Rachel blinked. Did she just imagine that? Before she could respond, he had already disappeared off.

The brunette didn't know how long she sat at that couch as she ran through her thoughts frantically. Did she just have an actual conversation (okay, not _really_) with Jesse St. James? Before she delved further into the psychoanalysis of her encounter, Peyton came up to her.

"Rachel... are you entering our wet T-shirt contest? Because we usually have that during spring break..."

Rachel looked down to her seemingly see-through white shirt as it stuck to her skin.

_Definitely should have rethought the flowered underwear._

_

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_

"_Kiss me," Rachel murmured._

"_Is that an order?"_

"_Yes."_

_His smirk broadened to a grin as he leaned in to capture her lips with his._

_Moaning happily into the kiss, Rachel allowed him to push her back onto the pillow, never breaking their liplock._

_He traced his tongue along her bottom lip teasingly before pulling back to look at her face._

"_I've always wanted to say that," she breathed, running a hand through his wavy brown hair._

"_You've always been this demanding?" his hot breath hit her neck before her eyes glazed over at the feel of his supple lips against her skin._

"_Mm-hmm," unable to form a coherent sentence, Rachel bit her bottom lip as she let out a shaky breath from the contact._

_His kisses were long and languid before he pulled back once more to look into her eyes._

"_I like it," he smirked before crashing his lips down on hers, igniting a fantastically fiery passion within her. _

"_Ohh... Jesse..." she sighed in between intakes of breath as their tongues explored each other's mouths, stumbling upon sweet, heavenly discoveries of their own._

"_That's it, baby... say it," he panted, nipping and biting at her tender flesh, stimulating more and more noises from her beautiful lips._

"_Jesse, I want to sing with you," Rachel managed to utter, her fingers entangled within his soft hair._

_They paused._

_He looked at her._

"_Let's do it then. Right now," he smiled._

_Rachel giggled._

"_No, I meant for an audience," she shook her head._

"_Precisely."_

_Rachel furrowed her brow from her position underneath his body._

"_Oh my God! What a slut and a half!" came a familiar shriek out of nowhere from the distance._

_Rachel's head snapped to the side, only to find a full auditorium staring right at her and Jesse's current predicament._

_Quinn was on her feet, pointing to them. Apparently, she was the one who had burst out with the 'slut' comment._

_And that single comment had triggered the rest of the audience's reaction as they roared to life, pointing and jeered at her._

_Rachel sat upright in panic as a fully-clothed Jesse shifted to allow her some space._

"_HONK! HONK!" what seemed to be the entire football team let out a raucous laughter while squeezing the air in front of them suggestively._

_Looking down, Rachel saw that she was as stark-naked as the day she was born._

_Jesse stared at her body in cool approval._

_As the deafening laughter from the entire auditorium rang through her, the brunette felt the tears well up in her eyes._

_Yanking the blankets, she covered herself up before letting out an ear-splitting scream..._

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**And** she was still screaming as she sat up in her bed, realizing it was all a dream.

Panting, she looked around, making sure it was really her room.

Pawing at her body, she checked to see if she still had on her cotton candy PJs.

"Holy shit," she breathed out, her chest heaving as she fell back onto her pillows.

It had been days since the somewhat embarrassing run-in with Jesse at the showcase and this was honestly the first time she had encountered such a dream in her (admittedly) overactive imagination.

She seriously needed to get her mind off of all this nonsense.

Rachel remembered what her father had suggested just a few weeks ago.

"_Just try it. Get a change of scenery," he had handed her a flyer_, she recalled.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do," she mumbled to herself, rolling out of bed with seeming purpose.

Little did she know, fate always seems to catch up to those who run from it.

Who would've guessed that fate came in the form of a sexy Carmel High stranger she has barely said ten sentences to her whole life?


	4. Change

**Disclaimer: I do not own Justin Timberlake and Timbaland's 'Carry Out'.**

**Author's Note: Hello, again! Thank you to all the lovely reviewers... again, you people have absolutely no idea how amazing you all are. Your reviews mean a great deal to me and keep me motivated to deliver to you the best telling of a story I can muster up with.**

**So, this chapter features heavily on some major ogling action on Rachel's part. Don't worry; she'll get some fair treatment in the next few chapters. Also, I hope you guys enjoy the new character I've introduced in this chapter. Tell me what you think of him!**

**Well, there really isn't anything else for you to do but read, enjoy and leave a review! Have fun, guys!**

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"Ugh... Contrary to popular belief, there are more _Arthurs _than _Marthas _here. Not that I'm complaining... view's still the same."

Rachel laughed, listening to her new friend, Freddy's keen observance on the ratio of straight men to gay men in the class.

It was the weekend after her peculiar dream and she somehow made it through the rest of the week without jumping six feet in the air at the sound of Quinn's voice. Rachel found herself anticipating the Ice Queen to invite the student body to watch her strip down in the locker room on more than one occasion.

It just wasn't normal.

Thus, on that sunny Saturday morning, she had grabbed the flyer Leroy (her dad) had given her and asked him to drop her off (seeing as she had yet to get her official driver's license) at the Youth Centre.

Clad in her lavender vest and dark loosely fitting pants, she had all the accessories she needed in her duffel bag. In short, she was ready for that _change of scenery _she sorely needed.

If one were completely honest, they would mention one very true fact: as of late, Rachel found herself spending most of her allocated time in Ballet Club and a prestigious after-school ballet class conducted by one Madame Lavoisier (who upheld the discipline of her fellow students above anything else) whenever she wasn't in vocal class or drama workshop.

Hey, how else was she going to take Broadway by the horns as the next triple-threat, right?

Hiram (daddy) and Leroy (dad) had noticed how wound up their daughter was due to her demanding schedule and suggested she try out something _fun_ and totally within her pool of interest:

_**Broadway Dance Class: Jazz 101**_

So, that was where Rachel found herself. Not long after she arrived, the talkative young lady immediately began chatting up a storm with _Freddy._

"Alright, let's get it all out there... Freddy Bradford, 19 years old and openly sporting **GAP**," he drawled lazily in response to her bubbly introduction and semi-summarized life story.

The brunette quirked a knowing smile. "**G**ay **A**nd **P**roud?" she stuck out her hand for him to shake.

Freddy's bored exterior morphed into one of impressed realization as he grinned back to her. "I love you already. Not many people would've understood that right off the bat," he accepted her hand with a laugh.

The young ingénue gave a musical giggle. She was happy to start the day off on the right foot. It seemed that the atmosphere of the class wasn't like anything she was used to. Madame Lavoisier made them dress in black leotards one hundred percent of the time and kept the studio rigid and cold (both figuratively _and _literally speaking).

_BDC, _on the other hand, felt homey as the diverse class of students milled around the cosy studio, clad in their own style of dance attire, socializing.

Some were sharing a cigarette by a corner of the studio, blowing the remnants out the window.

A few people were clowning around with what seemed to be a game of 'suck and blow'.

Almost everyone was munching on either a _Snickers _bar or even a burger.

Pre-class almost seemed like a party.

And it was pretty refreshing for Rachel who would've been out of place had she not have Freddy to talk to.

"So, this is your first time here?" the tall, bulky college freshman blew his wispy pale bangs out of his eyes as he faced Rachel.

"Oh, yeah... there have been a _lot _of firsts for me these past couple of days," she rolled her eyes in response whilst putting her dark hair up in a loose ponytail.

Like her first act of espionage in hot pursuit of someone who probably had _no _idea she existed.

Freddy made a little noise as his eyebrows shot up in gleeful surprise.

"No! Nothing like _that_! God..." Rachel laughed, swatting his arm quickly.

"Oh. Well, it _has _to be _something _equally as scandalous. If not, it wouldn't get your panties up in such a bunch now, would it?" he responded, folding his arms.

Yes, well... Rachel could think of _a number _of ways Jesse St. James affected her panties.

At that moment, a tall red-headed lady in her mid-forties strode to the front of the classroom.

"Alright, everybody! Let's kick it into high gear!" she clapped her hands, a thick Australian accent apparent in her booming voice. Earning a round of applause and cheers, she grinned before moving to the stereo behind her.

"That's the instructor, Tania. Talented lady. A sweetheart too," Freddy grabbed Rachel's hand, bringing her to the middle of the floor as everyone else followed suit to take their positions.

The opening notes of a familiar song began to echo throughout the room as everyone clapped in approval. Rachel smiled. She always _did _like Justin Timberlake. And to say she found herself _occasionally _dancing like a video ho alone in her room to 'Carry Out' would be putting it lightly.

"Let's start with the usual warm-ups, darlings! Head down! And up!"

Rachel used Tania's voice as a guide, following the instructions while glancing to everyone through the wall-to-wall mirrors here and there to make sure she was on track.

"Head left! And right! Keep going..."

This was such a nice change of pace, Rachel sighed in contentment. She was trying something new, meeting different people...

"Now, right shoulder! Left shoulder..."

The brunette raised her arms perpendicularly to her perfect form. As she rolled her shoulders in sync with the rest of the class, she felt her worries begin to dissipate.

"Hey! You made it!" Tania exclaimed, turning her attention to the figure that just jogged into the studio. Rachel looked over to the said figure as he made his way to the instructor.

If only the ground would just open up and swallow her whole _now_.

There, giving Tania a warm hug, cocky grin and all... was Jesse-freakin-St. James. In all his 'other-worldly-type-of-sexy' glory.

Rachel began to silently fume. How was this possible? The universe was against her in some twisted way or another. What else could explain her insanely terrible(?) luck...? She would've accused him of stalking her if she hadn't been doing it to him in the first place.

"_Oh my God... what if he recognizes me?_" Rachel thought in panic. She then immediately began to rationalize. "_Hardly possible... the bar was too dark that night. And I probably look different when drenched in beer rather than... oh._"

Jesse pulled his sweater over his head; causing the fitted black T-shirt he wore inside to ride up, revealing his bare torso for what were probably only a few milliseconds before it dropped back down.

Yet, the mental image of Jesse St. James' sculpted abs would forever be imprinted in the highly imaginative mind of Rachel Berry from this moment forward.

As the song began its chorus, Tania ordered them to move on to the next position.

"And suck it in!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together once.

The dancers brought their feet apart along with their arms as they began to roll their hips in time with the music.

"And _roll _it... roll those hips, come on keep your centre strong!"

Rachel's eyes innocently trailed back to Jesse, seeing as he was at the front of the class. She watched him roll his hips expertly, giving her a spectacular view of his butt. She suppressed a giddy, little smile, _trying her best _to look somewhere else.

"Get ready to get down and contract, people!" Tania voiced, pacing in front of the classroom with her hands on her hips.

Rachel bit her lip and got a hold of herself, making it a point to stare directly at her own reflection in the mirrors in front.

"And down..."

The entire class slowly got down in a sitting position.

"And contract!"

Rachel kept her core strong as she lay down slowly with her arms outstretched in front of her.

"And down! Lift those hips!"

Smacking the hardwood floor with their hands, the students kept their feet apart and begun lifting their hips in a plank position before coming back down, repeating the action.

"Whoa! Lots of action going on today," Tania joked suggestively as the class worked their pelvic muscles.

Rachel kept her breathing even as the warm-ups really strengthened her inner core (more so than it already was). She chanced a side glance to her desired target.

He was looking directly at her.

A tiny gasp escaped her lips as she blinked and looked away quickly; hoping that her little glance was discreet enough.

Honestly, thrusting one's hips and down _kind of _sends a boy the wrong signal when you're trying to appear charming and attractive... _not_ like a cat in heat. Rachel mentally scolded herself. She focused all her energy into not hyperventilating right there on her back. Because if she did... with Jesse just a mere few feet away... yeah, it would put her in a somewhat vulnerable position.

Despite her best efforts, her face began to heat up in a blush.

"_Damn those drama workshops!" _They turned her into a god-forsaken open book.

"Push it up! Come on, hold it hold it hold it!"

Everyone maintained the plank position for a good few seconds before Tania told them to roll onto their sides.

"Now stretch it out! Up! Pick it up!"

Resting her weight on her elbow, Rachel lay on her side as she brought an outstretched leg as close to her ear as possible, repeating the motion in time with the beat. She was glad he too had gotten on his side, so he had his back turned to her (and no further eye contact whatsoever).

"Okay, other side! Up... and up!"

Switching sides, Rachel began stretching her other leg out.

"You've got it, yeah!"

Biting the inside of her cheek, the brunette turned her head slowly to look over her shoulder in what she hoped to be the greatest discretion she could ever muster.

Jesse was looking elsewhere, his eyes focused straight ahead.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't _a little _disappointed. Hell... she'd rather feel awkward than be ignored (be careful what you wish for_, damn_).

"Alright, you're going to get up! And I want you to bounce and _stretch_!"

The class stood up, but kept their faces close to their knees, stretching their back muscles out. After a few more positions, Rachel felt absolutely limber and ready for what the class had in store for them next.

They all formed a circle with Tania standing in the middle. The young sophomore tentatively searched the arc of the said circle for a tall Vocal Adrenaline lead that she kept ending up in the same area with (_and _she had nothing to do with it this time).

She found him standing on the other end, hands placed loosely on his hips as he listened to the instructor.

"Okay, on to the next stage of our stretches, I'm going to ask for everyone to pair up, guy and girl," Tania spoke, smiling warmly as she scanned her students. "Some volunteers, please!" she continued, holding her hands out expectantly as she raised her thin eyebrows.

Rachel, along with the rest of the class, looked around to each other.

Tania's eyes stopped on the new face.

"Alright... _you_, love," Tania grinned, pointing to Rachel.

The brunette's eyes widened in surprise. Before she could open her mouth in response, the instructor had already moved on to choose another student.

"Now, let's find you a hot, young stud to test your flexibility on," the red-head joked, skimming the boys as her suggestive quip earned a round of snickers and chuckles from the group.

_Oh, boy._

Things were about to get interesting.

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**Author's Note: This particular premise of events is pretty important because they **_**do **_**progress in their odd, little "relationship". Let's just say, the "takes notice" attitude is not one-sided anymore from the next chapter onwards. Oh, and the next chapter's going to be special because **_**surprise, surprise**_**... we ****finally**** get to see things through Jesse's eyes. That's right; it's from the sexy stud's point of view. So, don't forget to review and keep tabs on the story. Much love from yours truly!**


	5. Intrigue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the insanely sexy cover of Blondie's "Call Me" by Franz Ferdinand. Look it up on YouTube and listen to it when you come to the dance sequence. It's uber hot.**

**Author's Note: Hello, all! I was seriously delighted in reading the wonderful feedback from all of you (reviews, alerts, favourites, the whole sha-bang). I appreciate even a 'favorite story' or 'story alert' and even more so a 'favorite author' as much as I love your reviews. It makes me feel like my story-telling is relevant and very much a part of your daily entertainment, haha. So, thank you so much.**

**I'm glad you guys liked the Center Stage reference in the previous chapter because I was very much inspired by that little warm-up session of theirs. Obviously, I changed the song to make it more current and... well, I love Justin Timberlake's music. His songs are alright in my book.**

**Lindsey G: When will it move into the mature section? Hm... well, I haven't really thought of that because Rachel and Jesse barely know each other in this story considering it's pre-'Hello'. Granted, there is a LOT of sexual tension between them. Though, I'm not so sure about them acting upon it. But, hey... who knows? Perhaps I'll sneak in a sexy, little dream on Jesse's part? Only because I think he's got more imagination and experience to come up with something **_**wild**_**. Haha... we'll see.**

**FromtheBrain: How AU will the story be in terms of them ending up together or not? I'll just say that their history from 'Hello' and forwards will definitely stay true to the series. The good, the bad, the ugly, everything... and then some. The **_**some**_** part is a surprise, it's the grand finale after all. But, I'm hoping you guys will enjoy it ****immensely****. Just stay tuned and keep me fuelled with your reviews so I can deliver it to you all quicker.**

**Alright, onto Chapter 5. This is the longest chapter I've written to date, and it was done with love and affection and pure **_**fun **_**from seeing things through Jesse's P.O.V. He's a guy, he's sexy, he's cute... his thoughts can prove to be typical and surprising all rolled into one. Be forewarned that Jesse's frame of mind isn't exactly censored, so there is some strong language, sexual innuendos, the works. There's my disclaimer right there. **

**This chapter depicts Jesse finally taking notice of Rachel (took him 5 chapters to do it, but he's finally THERE!) and the internal progress he takes with him as he observes her. **

**There are new characters, the foreshadowing of new characters and then some in here, so tell me what you think of them!**

**Also: I learned a hell of a lot on dance terms and dancing in general when writing this chapter. I researched on jazz and ballet, watched videos on YouTube and all that jazz to write out the dance scene in this one. I can now say **_**Grande Plies**_** and know what the hell it is I just babbled, haha.**

**So, there really is nothing left for you to do but read, enjoy, fantasize about Jesse in between and leave a review. Have fun!**

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"What I wouldn't do to see her naked, man..." Nick Mitchell mumbled as he eyed the instructor who addressed the class from the middle of the floor.

Jesse crossed his arms over his solid chest as he squinted at the sight of Tania, appraising her carefully. He then turned to his comrade, who had been awaiting a response for a good few seconds by then.

The St. James offspring merely gave a shrug.

"What the hell is..." Nick exaggerated a shrug, mimicking Jesse's gesture.

"Come on, I've seen better," came his honest reply as he kept his voice low (not wanting to interrupt their topic of conversation's little spiel).

"You're trippin', man," Nick grunted, shaking his head.

"First of all, you know I'm not; and secondly, shut the fuck up," Jesse uttered, his voice maintaining its calm, quiet tone as he kept his eyes on Tania who seemed to be asking for volunteers.

This was routine for the two guys. They had known each other since middle school and were always exchanging lacerating remarks. Nevertheless, they were good friends and once, Nick even managed to convince Jesse the tear-jerking truth behind the code of "_Bros Before Hos_". Granted, they were wasted out of their minds at the time, so such an event may or may not have counted.

But, the point was: Jesse was Nick's _brotha-from-anotha-motha _and vice versa.

"Oh, yeah. That's right. You live with Madison. Of _course _you've seen better," Nick smacked his forehead with mock realization.

Jesse cringed in disgust at the mention of his sister in such a lurid light.

"What you just said... that actually _transcends _comedy and reaches the pinnacle of repugnance on so many different levels."

Nick simply chortled smugly in reply. Sure, Madison St. James _could _be sometimes deemed crazy what with rumours of her biting bat heads off and sleeping with Marilyn Manson running around... but, she was hot. In a _'I'll-run-you-over-with-my-Harley'_ kind of way. There was a time when everyone referred to the two siblings as 'the Addams family' seeing as Jesse never strayed from his black attire and Madison with her dark dreads, tongue piercing and heavy eyeliner.

That was until Jesse suddenly became a _god_ at Carmel High (much to the dismay of those who spent the entirety of freshman year making the boy's life a living hell with name-callings of 'queer' and 'choir boy bitch') and Madison became entirely capable of kicking your ass so far into next week (she made a reputation for herself by pulling that stunt off once with some dude who publicly made a wager to get into her pants on a first date).

Jesse ignored his friend with a shake of his head. The Carmel High senior silently watched Tania point out a girl from the crowd. A petite brunette blinked and became the perfect example of '_a deer in the headlights_' as her lips parted wordlessly.

_Nice lips_, to be exact.

Jesse found his eyes lingering on them before travelling up a little higher.

Her brown orbs landed on him and he readily met her gaze without a shred of hesitancy.

At that very moment, Tania had joked about the said girl testing her flexibility on any one of the guys.

As the room erupted in a series of giggles and snickers, a smirk tugged on one corner of Jesse's lips while he maintained their gaze on each other.

She hastily looked away from him, flustered.

Nick groaned in exasperation from beside him.

"Aw, _hell _no. It's only been fifteen seconds and you're already undressing her with your eyes."

And then some.

"No, I'm not."

Oh, he _clearly _was.

"Jesse... the girl's squirmin', man. She _knows _you're sending her sex vibes."

Well, in his defence... what harm can really come out of having eye sex, right?

"This is just my face, Mitchell."

Yeah, just like 'The Sistine Chapel' is _just _a doodle.

"Whatever... she's cute. And fifteen seconds has got to be a new record or something," came Nick's bemused reply as the two friends (along with the rest of the class) watched the brunette take a few dainty (yet self-assured) steps to where Tania stood.

"She kind of looks familiar too," Jesse mumbled, furrowing his brow as he further studied her features from a distance.

"Wait... you didn't already...?"

Jesse shook his head slowly. "Nahh... I mean..." his eyes absent-mindedly began to trail down her lean body at the entertaining thought. He paused, rubbing his chin lightly. "I think I'd know," he affirmed simply, glancing to his wing man.

"I'll volunteer!" a new voice suddenly broke into the picture. The acid blonde known as Freddy _what's-his-face_ trotted forward with a smile as he moved towards 'mystery girl'.

"Looks like you missed your shot," Nick uttered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Jesse didn't bother to turn to his friend as he watched Freddy and the girl get into position on the floor.

"I didn't miss anything. Even if I did, it'd be because you couldn't keep your big-ass mouth shut."

Nick checked his watch. "A minute and a half. You're getting all defensive after a minute and a half worth of this girl. Another record."

Jesse let out a deep chuckle, genuinely amused.

"It's just a girl," he stated, his tone final.

"A _hot_ one," Nick wiggled his eyebrows in reply.

"They're _all_ hot," Jesse answered unfeelingly.

"Yeah, but you sexed this one up after fifteen seconds."

"Well, she looks like she could use some sexing. Badly."

"I think Freddy's got that covered for now."

At hearing that, Jesse turned his attention to the said pair.

She lay down on her back from underneath Freddy, him situated between her legs. One of his hands pressed firmly on her thigh to keep it straight as the other lifted her other leg high up over his shoulder. He gently pushed the said outstretched leg more and more, causing her thigh to meet closer with her chest during each slow thrust.

Obviously, it was an exercise to stretch out the back thigh muscles. Right.

"How does that feel? Better?" the blonde asked as he pushed the leg further and further towards her chest, his body pressed against hers.

"Yeah, that feels good," she uttered, nodding her head, tilting her chin upwards.

Jesse found himself staring unabashedly at the scene before him. Sure, they carried out this type of exercise hundreds of times before... But, there was something about this girl that amplified the whole thing to a different level. She seemed so untainted... it was almost obscene (if that made any sense). And he always had a soft spot for 'obscene'.

"She's pretty," Nick suddenly voiced.

"_Jesus_, Mitchell. You're such a chick," Jesse scowled, suddenly thinking '_yes, it __was__ his asshole of a friend's fault that it wasn't __him__ thrusting and pushing up against her (even if it was just for exercise)'_.

"What?"

"The girl's got her legs spread wide open in a precarious position and all you can think about is how 'pretty' she is?"

"You don't think she's pretty?"

"Fuck no. She's gorgeous."

At that point, Freddy pulled her up to her feet for the next position as Tania gave the green light for everyone to pair up and follow suit.

The blonde moved behind her, pressing his waist against her back as she bent forwards. Keeping her legs straight, her face touched her knees as her partner held onto her hips securely.

"Jesse!" a feminine voice caused him to reluctantly pull his eyes away from the demonstrative pair.

He looked down to see Tara wait for him to pull those stunts on her. That was one advantage of being Jesse St. James. When it came to things like these, they always _came to him_. Even when he was blatantly fascinated with the new girl and how she made even the 'flamer extraordinaire' of the class seem like a stud.

Within seconds, the entire class was engaged in stretching each other out as pairs.

As Jesse carried out the first position demonstrated just now on his partner, he felt someone's eyes on him. He glanced to his side just as 'mystery girl' looked away from him at the last second. He felt a smile curve one corner of his lips.

So, he kept glancing to her as well, not really paying heed to Tara who moaned louder and louder from underneath him to catch his attention. At one point, someone on the other side of the room gleefully yelled "Yeah! Get it, St. James!" at hearing Tara cry out loudly.

"_Fuck_, Tara... keep that up and I'll have to show you what it's like to _not_ fake it," he whispered, his tone bordering on annoyance as he looked into his partner's clear blue eyes. In turn, the girl gasped before breaking out into a blush. She was pretty sure she'd die and come back to life only to die again if he were to keep his word.

Tara wasn't ignorant. She heard the stories amongst the girls in the locker room. They compared notes even.

One thing that rang true with all of them was the common statement: 'When Jesse St. James fucks you... he _really _fucks you.'

It was probably all that theatricality overflowing within him which drove the guy to perform like there was no tomorrow (in every aspect of his colourful life). In any case, the prospect of being fucked brainless by him was one that most girls jumped at the chance for (though, he was picky). Go figure.

As every woman in the room mulled over this thought, Jesse's own mind kept going back to the brunette who probably (at this point) thought he was a sex fiend, thanks to his ever-vocal partner.

He concluded that she was beautiful and there was just something about her that kept him looking over. It wasn't something you could put in words. _And _she seemed oddly familiar. But, Jesse found that she was _also _talented when Tania began teaching them the choreography.

She quickly picked up the steps and executed the _pirouettes_, the _demi-plie(s)_, the _grand jete(s)_, the _Fouetté en tournant(s) _well. Clearly she was classically trained. Yet, she still maintained an edge to pull off Tania's rock-and-roll-esque choreography.

The class was spent perfecting the week's choreography. The instructor chose Franz Ferdinand's cover of "Call Me" by Blondie and split the girls and guys up into two groups at the beginning. The girls would start off and the guys would get their turn during the second verse before the girls took over once more in the bridge and they'd pair off briefly, ending by dancing as a group altogether.

Jesse and a few other guys were excluded from the pairing-off, considering the uneven ratio of the girls to boys. He noticed Freddy was paired off once more with 'the girl'. Looked like they had great chemistry together, which was saying something considering that Freddy looked down on anything and anyone most of the time. She really must be something, then.

At the end of the class, they were to end the day with a run-through of the choreography. Sweaty, tired and flushed, everyone still had a mountain of enthusiasm to get by as the dance itself was a major adrenaline booster.

"I want you all to forget about everything and just **dance**, alright? I want to see character out here!" Tania clapped her hands as everyone cheered while the girls got into position. Jesse grinned easily, stretching out his neck muscles as he watched the brunette cup her hands over her mouth to amplify her cheers.

With that, the music started.

The girls began, moving to the tempo of the rock song. Getting into the groove of the sultry vocals, they were unstoppable. A blend of contemporary ballet, hairography and classic jazz, it was the perfect mix of sex appeal and skill. The brunette at the front exhibited the most expression, biting on her bottom lip as she rolled her hips whilst staring into her reflection, carefree. Jesse smiled to himself, unable to take his eyes off of her as she moved. The seemingly innocent girl was gone.

At the chorus, their dance picked up speed as they executed more leaps and turns, starting off with a series of calypso leaps. Ending their segment with a _grand jete_, it was now the boys' turn now that the song began to move into the second verse. Jesse glanced to her as she moved past him before focusing all his attention on the choreography. Now to show them how it's _done_.

The boys step-ball-changed before swiftly sliding on their knees to the front, immediately jumping to their feet in one motion, perfectly on cue. Thrusting their hips in time to the music, it produced a loud laugh from the girls' as some of the guys contorted their faces in exaggeration for humour value (one of them being Jesse). The guys' choreography was meant to be more rough around the edges, filled with stag leaps, hip thrusts and feet stamping.

As the song rose into another chorus, contemporary ballet was infused with the dance's _Chasse(s), _ending with a series of pirouettes. Nailing the movements, one could clearly see the intensity on Jesse's face as he, along with the other guys, swiftly gave the floor to the girls once more by backing away in time with the music.

"_Ooh, she speaks the languages of love"_

The girls daintily spun and sauntered their way onto the floor, teasing smiles playing on their faces. One that really captured Jesse's attention even gave him a fleeting glance, her smile growing before she turned her full attention on her _Saut de Chat. _He grinned, breathing a little heavily from the work-out as the other guys wolf-whistled and cheered along.

"_Ooh, amore, chiamami chiamami"_

As the girls continued their sensual ballet movements, a couple of the guys got into position to prepare for their slides toward their designated partners. Jesse glanced around the room, realizing that the 'mystery girl's' partner was nowhere to be seen. He furrowed his brow. Where the hell was Freddy?

"_Oo, appelle-moi mon cherie"_

Oh well, you snooze you lose.

Jesse expertly stepped into position and slid on his knees towards the brunette, along with the rest of the few guys who too stopped in front of their designated partners.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she looked down to face his easy smile. He was further impressed by her professionalism as the shock was short-lived, seeing as she got into gear and performed the next movements as practiced.

"_Anytime" _

She slipped her fingers through his hair, making it look as if she dragged him to the right masterfully...

"_Any place" _

... And to the left...

"_Anywhere" _

Jesse rolled onto a sitting position directly in front of her as she towered above him before lifting himself up to drag his fingertips up along her side.

"_Anyway__..."_

Her breath seemed to hitch as Jesse's grasp became a little firmer once his hand reached the outline of her ribs.

"_Anytime anyplace anywhere any day, anyway__..."_

He rolled onto squat beside her form and slowly stood up, running his hand along up the side of her body from her ankle to her forearm before the song rose into the last chorus. Jesse's mind was whirring as her back pressed into him for the briefest of moments before the song exploded once more.

As the chorus began, the boys leapt to the front and began the next segment of their intricate choreography, this time with the girls following suit at the back. They put their absolute all into it, building up for the last portion of the composition, which was without a doubt, going to need a hell of a lot of focus and energy.

As the song repeated the phrase "Call Me", it was their cue to perform the _Fouetté en tournant, _basically a series of spins on one leg, repeating the motion again and again until the song ended. Once it did, the room erupted with loud, breathless cheers from all around.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about!" Tania shouted over the noise with a bright laugh as she applauded them.

Jesse wiped the sweat from his brow with the hem of his shirt before clapping his hands as well with a chuckle. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the brunette jump into Freddy's arms for a hug, asking about where he went.

The handsome, young lead half-smiled, allowing them to their own devices. For now.

**

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**

It was always a flurry of movement after class. Everyone was out the door and at the parking lot within seconds and this time was no different.

Slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder, Jesse walked out, meeting the cool evening breeze. He dug in his pockets for the keys to his red Mustang. As he did so, a car horn caught his attention. Looking up, he saw a car-full of girls yelling out to someone.

"Freddy, get your diva ass in here, bitch!"

That caught his attention. Not Freddy or the 'diva' comment, but the fact that he watched the said guy leave with the brunette awhile ago in the midst of what seemed to be an animated conversation.

His gaze flickered to where the yells were directed to and sure enough, the blonde boy pecked the 'mystery girl' on the cheek before jogging off to get into the car. Watching the car drive off, Jesse took his time in striding towards his desired target.

"You did great up there," he offered, approaching her lone figure.

Turning to look at him, she gave a soft smile. "Thanks. You were good too."

There was a silence between them as they seemed to appraise each other's presence.

This felt somewhat foreign to him. He was captivated.

"I'm sorry... at the risk of sounding cheesy... have we met before?" it was an honest question Jesse had been pondering on ever since he saw her. Especially her voice. There was definitely a familiar ring to it.

She cleared her throat, crossing her arms across her chest with a shrug. "Um... no, I don't think so."

Jesse stared at her. Either he was the biggest idiot in the world or she was just this serendipitous thing that happened to him. He didn't know which idea was more daunting.

"Jesse! Come on, let's go!" a shrill voice screamed from the direction of his car.

Crap.

He turned to see Tara standing there with her hands on her hips, obviously impatient with him. He had almost forgotten the ride he promised he'd give her.

And no, that was not an innuendo.

He meant an honest-to-goodness car ride (not that she knew _that _yet).

Turning back to the brunette, he saw the look on her face drop briefly before she met his eyes once more with what seemed to be a determined strength.

"Again... Good job back there," he repeated, uncharacteristically not knowing what to say as he backed away towards his car. He lifted his hand as a sign of goodbye as she smiled and nodded in response.

Jesse walked to the Mustang, forgetting about Tara once more as he ran a post-mortem of their interaction.

She readily accepted his eye-sexing.

She kept throwing him longing looks from across the floor.

Yet, she seemed hesitant in engaging in a conversation with him.

Hell... she _kind of _blew him off (if that was even in the realm of possibilities).

Sliding into the driver's seat, Jesse realized...

He was fucking intrigued.

And he kind of liked it.

* * *

**Author's Note: Why did Rachel react the way she did? What did you realize she _forgot (or did she?) _to do? Hint: It's kind of important when trying to establish even a semi-relationship with another person. Where the hell did Freddy go? Will we see Madison? When will Rachel and Jesse see each other again? Can you think of any other loose ends? **

**Your questions shall be answered in due time. **

**For now, I will say this: We're going to see a _whole _different side to Jesse in the next chapter. It'll be humorous and foreign and we'll get to see Rachel handle a situation she's never quite found herself in. Especially not with a boy she seriously would like to jump. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave a review/comment/question/assumption. Feedback is always, always appreciated. Don't forget to keep tabs on this story as we're going to delve further and further into the evolution of the Rachel-Jesse Dynamic: Pre-Actual Relationship**.


	6. Human

**Disclaimer: I do not own Frank Sinatra's 'Love Is a Many Splendored Thing', Grace Potter's rendition of 'Cortez: The Killer' by Neil Young, and Jesse's adorability factor.**

**Author's Note: Once again, I'd like to extend my deepest gratitude to those who took the time to give their feedback. You guys are the fuel to which this story runs on. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.**

**And we're back to Rachel's P.O.V.! I hope you guys missed her neuroticism, haha!**

**So, this chapter features Rachel getting a big, fat reality check. It's time for her (I think) to start realizing that Jesse is **_**human **_**and she needs to decide if she can accept that. **

**You guys asked for a long chapter, I delivered! BAM! It's over 5000 words long; filled with humour, awakening, a new character, and of course, your favourite: sexual tension.**

**This chapter is different in the sense that there is some MAJOR Jesse-Rachel interaction going on. With a twist. **

**Go on: Read, get flustered, enjoy and review!**

**Have fun, guys!**

**

* * *

**

"Wait... you never even gave him your _name_?" Freddy's voice dripped with disbelief through the receiver of Rachel's telephone.

"I guess I took 'playing aloof' too far, huh?" she wrinkled her nose as she stared down at the pamphlet from the other night's showcase (the one with Jesse's face prominently displayed on).

"I'd say so, yes."

"Well, in my defence... he failed to introduce himself to me as well. _Also _he didn't even ask for my name. _And_ he left with another girl."

"Clearly you've had some time to mull this over, Rachel. But, I'm afraid you took my advice in the completely wrong direction. Hence, I now deem you... a noob."

"That isn't fair, Freddy! Your first idea worked, so I thought (naturally) your suggestion in keeping my speech to a minimal level would as well."

"Of course my first idea worked. All I had to do was leave the room and let nature take its course. That silly boy's _way _too full of himself to follow original plans like the choreography. It was in his instinct to make the decision in taking my place. _However_, the second one went awry probably because I left you to your own devices."

Rachel smiled giddily at the thought of the dance class and the connection they had made (even if it was just for a few nanoseconds).

"I'll have you know that my 'somewhat relationship' with Jesse got along fine even before you came into the picture," Rachel shot back triumphantly, placing one hand on her hip.

"Mm-hm. Which part? The one where he doesn't even know who you are and _still _doesn't?"

Rachel paused.

_Shoot._

She forgot that she had given Freddy a detailed play-by-play of what was up (or lack thereof) between her and the Vocal Adrenaline superstar.

"Fair enough. But it doesn't matter. I'm going to _try _this one more time and actually do it right."

"... How, Rachel?"

"I know for a fact that he'll be at the same pub he went to for the showcase I told you about this Friday night to 'hang out' with some friends."

"Wow. Did you get that from Stalker(dot)Net ?"

"No. _FaceBook_."

"It's the same concept."

Rachel rolled her eyes as she got up from her bed and moved to stand in front of her mirror.

"_Anyway_... if you're thinking I'm going to ambush him while he's with his friends, you're wrong. I'll just innocently be 'in the area' like an hour or two after the designated meeting time for the group," she explained thoroughly, her voice bright with enthusiasm.

"That actually sounds promising. I'm impressed."

"Told you I'm capable."

"Well, I for one can't wait to get to know your devious, little mind even better, Rachel. But for now, I've got a lecture on Criminal Law I need to be getting to. I'll see you around, pumpkin."

"Bye," Rachel smiled before hanging up.

She sighed to her reflection while running a finger through her dark locks, fixing her glossy hair. The brunette ingénue was going to let the chips fall as they may this Friday. If they were meant to be, they would be. If they weren't, then at least she would know.

No more crazy 007 action. She'll just get straight to the point and he was going to listen.

Because really, Rachel herself didn't like all these 'I-know-you-but-you-don't-know-me-and-yet-I'm-madly-in-love-with-you' shenanigans. She would like to establish s_omething _with Jesse, for goodness' sakes (so she could stop feeling like a loser).

Friday could _not _come quick enough.

* * *

The week came and gone at lightning speed and Rachel was panicking at the fact that Friday came _out of nowhere_.

She found herself sitting alone in her car (she had just gotten her license in the mail and had convinced her fathers in allowing her to take the car out for a spin... little did they know, to _where_ exactly). The brunette kept thinking and rethinking the craziness of her plan.

Rachel twiddled with the hem of her black bell skirt.

_What if he sees right through me? What if he thinks I'm just trying to be another notch on his belt? What if he turns out to be nothing more than a complete and utter douche bag who thinks he's superior to me?_

The young sophomore fretted to herself as she leaned her head back against the headrest.

"_**Love is a many splendored thing!**_" her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by someone's loud, obnoxious singing. Snapping her eyes open, she furrowed her brow as the voice floated from the middle of the parking lot.

"_**It's the April rose that only grows in the early spring...**_" Rachel was about to get annoyed at the bellowing as it was seriously intruding her peace. She needed to be in a calm frame of mind to face Jesse and this disturbance was _not _helping.

"_**Love is nature's way of giving**_..." there was a dramatic pause of the said slurring voice as the brunette stuck her head out of the window of her car to see who was responsible. She caught sight of a lone figure a few feet away. There were people milling about in front of the pub around the area, so she didn't really feel the need to be scared of what might happen as she got out of the car for further inspection.

"_**The golden crown that makes a man a king!**_" Rachel slowly approached the said figure before stopping dead in her tracks.

_Holy Mother of 'All That Is Pure and True In This World'._

Walking in a zigzag, the guy stumbled about with a bottle in his hand. There was a flash of mussed up brown hair as his tall figure tried to regain balance on his seemingly unsteady feet.

"_**Once on a high and windy hill!**_" he wailed theatrically, throwing his arms wide open for exaggeration value.

It figures. Only Jesse St. James could manage to stay _relatively _in pitch even when inebriated.

"_**In the morning mist... two lovers kissed... and the world stood still...**_" apparently, that high note on the previous line had tuckered him out enough, rendering his voice to a lazy slur as he slowed his steps to a stop. He stood there, feet apart and arms slumped to his sides.

Okay, _what the hell_?

This was not how she imagined her night would go.

**AND **this was not how the man of her dreams was supposed to behave.

"Sweet, fancy Moses," she mumbled gravely, breaking the deafening silence.

Jesse started, lifting his head before turning to look at her. "Whoa, hey, wait, what? You said something," he burst out with a flurry of words, squinting as he tried to capture her in his line of vision.

"Nothing. This was a total mistake," Rachel shook her head, just about ready to sink into depression as she whipped around to leave.

"Don't leave me, oh sweet angel!" his voice rose expressively, regaining his previously depleted energy once more. She stopped in her tracks, shutting her eyes with an impatient sigh.

"You can't leave... coz'... y'know..." Jesse began to slur yet again as he turned his bottle upside down, realizing it was already empty.

"The moon... we gotta... we gotta go there... for milk..." the devilishly handsome (and current) drunkard threw the said bottle to the ground unceremoniously. Rachel jumped at the sound of the sudden crash that exploded into the night.

Heaving another distressed noise from the base of her throat, she whirled around to face him. She found him staring blankly at the pieces of shattered glass beside him. Flipping her hair out of her face, the young diva marched right over to him.

"You're drunk," she stated with finality.

"You're cute," he smiled sleepily in return, towering over her petite figure.

Rachel faltered momentarily before reminding herself that he was thoroughly hammered and would _not _mean what he said for the remainder of the night.

"You're Jesse St. James!" she wailed, unwilling to believe that he was intoxicated beyond measure. She was dolled up for the night, had waited for this moment all week, and had been mentally preparing to face him... for WHAT? So, he could just forget about her the next day?

"I am?" Jesse screwed his eyebrows together at the sound of his name.

Rachel ignored his glazed stare and barrelled straight on, the immense annoyance clear in her voice. "You're not supposed to lose control! You're supposed to be charming the pants off of me! Don't you know that you're supposed to be playing the perfect gentleman right now_ as we speak_?" she didn't care that she sounded like an insane loon. It wasn't like he was going to remember any of it anyway. So, she made the most out of the moment.

"I am," he uttered defiantly, only half-registering what she had just lashed out to him.

She let out a scoffing laugh. "'Swinging about like a crazy person'. Oh yeah. A definite check in the list of appealing traits," came her sarcastic reply as she took a step back from him, only just noticing that she had gotten all up in his space a moment ago.

Rachel tried her level best to ignore the dazed and yet determined expression on his face. He seemed determined to respond to her harshness with his own wit, but the effort was apparent in his expression as he tried to formulate words.

It was adorable.

But, she stopped herself from thinking too much into that considering that she was _supposed _to be disappointed in him.

Jesse's hands suddenly shot up in front of his face. The sudden motion took Rachel by surprise as she jumped backwards.

He began to wiggle said fingers. "I'm magic."

The impressionable, young girl stared at him in a mixture of horror and fascination. His "argument" actually succeeded in rendering her speechless.

His hands dropped to his sides as he gazed to her in confusion and apprehension.

"What's your problem, anyway?" he mumbled, his voice holding an almost child-like quality in the question he shot at her.

"_You _called me back over here!"

"Yea... well... I'm rubber, you're glue..."

Jesse turned to step back before Rachel quickly grabbed a handful of his jacket, yanking him back over to her. A car zoomed past, narrowly missing his foot.

There was no way in Hell she was going to let him meander around in his current state. It would be like trusting a chimpanzee with matches and dynamite.

"Oh my God, wow, are you okay?" he gasped as he turned to grasp her forearms, totally missing the fact that it was _him _that nearly got run down by a car. Not her.

"Jesse, you should go home," she grasped his own forearms as well, looking up to him (a little worried... not to mention, exasperated).

"How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?" came his reply as they maintained their position that way.

Rachel didn't falter (she kind of expected a crazy response from him). "Do you even remember where you live?" she pressed on further.

He sighed, releasing her from his grasp. "Fine. You twisted my arm. It's _twenty-three_," he uttered in defeat, leaning on his side against the car beside them.

"Give me your wallet," she stuck her hand out expectantly, raising her eyebrows to the teasing smile that spread across his face.

"You'll have to frisk me for it, officer," his smile broadened cheekily, eyes half-closed.

Rachel scowled up to him. She went around him and dug through his back pocket, momentarily getting a head rush from _actually _touching him this way. But it would've been better if he wasn't semi-conscious and was able to fully enjoy the touch of a woman. _He_ looked about ready to fall asleep there and then.

Very romantic.

She found the leather article and checked his license. Scanning it, she recognized the address. It wasn't far from where they were.

"Come on, I'm taking you home," the brunette declared, stuffing the wallet back into his pocket.

"Uh-uh... stranger danger, stranger danger..." he argued in a sing-song voice, refusing to a move a step.

"Jesse..." she tried to come off as firm with him, but ended up sounding like she was about to cry from the sheer impatience ready to explode within her. In the end, she ended up pushing him towards her car. Surprisingly, it didn't take much effort as he followed her lead without a struggle whatsoever.

"No. Wait. Stop," he mumbled dully as they made their way over to the said vehicle.

Rachel was beginning to think he was just arguing with her for _the sake_ of arguing.

She pulled open the passenger door for him. Putting one foot inside, he turned to look at her at the last second.

"Is this where you start to take advantage of me? Coz' I can make it easier for you..." he began casually, dragging out his words as he blinked slowly. Rolling her eyes, Rachel shoved him into his seat before slamming the door shut.

_Not how she pictured her night to be at all._

She ignored the excited tingle in the pit of her stomach at the realization that Jesse St. James was in her car and instead tried to focus all her energy in feeling let down by him.

He was still a _charming _drunk, though.

Shaking her head, the brunette slipped into the driver's seat. Ignoring his stare on her, she was about to turn the key in the ignition before Jesse broke the momentary lapse of silence.

"Are you supposed to be some random guardian angel or something? Coz' if you are, then... boy, you've got the wrong person here..." he chuckled lightly, getting comfortable in his seat.

Rachel looked over to him, her brow furrowed. "What makes you say that?"

The unfazed Carmel High senior inclined his head towards her, their gazes interlocked.

"There once was a moth that fell in love with a star," he uttered, leaning his head against the headrest as he watched her. She wasn't exactly sure where he was going with this... but, she stayed silent.

"All his friends and relatives mocked him, told him he was being unrealistic, and urged him to focus his efforts on some local, possible, attainable goal: a streetlamp or a lantern," his voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke to her, as if sharing a secret.

"But our Moth was in love with His Star, and he would not give up..." he grinned as he watched a smile form on the brunette's lips.

"So while all his pals and his family soon burned themselves out around the local, ready-made luminaries, and wound up as charred bits of ash on the sidewalks of the town, our Moth enjoyed a long and happy and healthy life in endless pursuit of his limitless Star," Rachel had no idea how someone as drunk as he was could even recall such a random story, but she found herself staring at his lips as he spoke. And no other thought seemed to enter her mind.

She had listened intently, not realizing that they're faces kept inching closer and closer as he had gone further into the story.

"And then?" she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from his full lips.

"And then..." he murmured huskily, his nose almost brushing against hers...

That was before he fell unconscious, head-first onto her lap.

Rachel squeaked in surprise, rudely awakened from the dazed state he had put her under.

Holy _fuck. _

Jesse St. James' head was in between her legs. And not in the way she had often daydreamed about.

The guy was out cold.

Just at that moment, a couple of girls had passed the side of her car. Coincidentally, they glanced inside while passing through. Taking in the scandalous sight before them, they whistled in approval.

As a series of "You go, girl!"(s) and "Make him work for it!"(s) drifted off into the night when the giggling group of women passed by, Rachel shut her eyes in embarrassment.

"Jesse!" she whispered harshly to the still figure, head lying face down in her lap.

"Mmmhpf..." came the muffled reply as his face maintained its position.

His voice vibrated through her like an electric shock from where his mouth coincidentally was situated and _oh dear lord _that felt too good to ever be deemed morally appropriate.

Grabbing his shoulders frantically (against her will), she pushed him back into his seat.

_That _actually snapped him out of his sleepy daze as the back of his head hit the headrest. Blinking rapidly, he shook his head.

"Do me a favour and stay awake. At least until I get you home," she muttered, starting the engine before pulling out of the parking space.

Jesse didn't say anything as he rubbed his eyes, not quite regaining consciousness yet.

_Damn his stupid cuteness. Damn it to hell._

She drove in silence and after a few moments, he reached forward and turned the radio on. Clumsily switching through the stations, he finally stopped when an unfamiliar song (at least to Rachel) floated through the speakers.

"Ohh yeah... That's it..." he moaned in satisfaction whilst leaning back into his seat, eyes shut appreciatively.

_Just ignore the fact that he's __moaning__. In __your__ car. You can do it._

She steadied her breathing, focusing her attention on the road before her.

The song featured heavily on the trumpet and electric guitar as a woman sang amongst the hauntingly provocative instrumentals of the music.

Rachel had never heard it before, but began to enjoy the high of the song as it played on longer.

Jesse's eyes remained shut as he murmured along the lyrics.

"_And the women all were beautiful... and the men stood straight and strong..._" managing to stay in tune, he tapped his hand against his lap in time with the beat.

After a while, he looked over to the brunette who had been glancing to him, an unspoken question in her eyes.

"No..." he grinned in disbelief.

"'No' what?" she arched an eyebrow, as she looked in her rear view mirror to switch lanes.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of Neil Young," his slur had improved a _little_ as she listened to the obvious smile in his tone.

She smiled, shaking her head 'no'.

"_This_ is a rendition of his song by Grace Potter and Joe Satriani. Just listen to those lyrics... that guitar... the trumpet. The music is purely designed to make love to your soul," Jesse spoke as passionately as a drunk could muster... which was pretty fiery enough.

Rachel giggled. "At the rate it's going, my soul's pretty much knocked up by now," she quipped, sending him an easy smile.

Laughing heartily, the Vocal Adrenaline lead leaned into his seat, appreciating her joke. Then again, _everything _seems hilarious when you're inebriated.

They let the song play until the end in silence.

He leaned his head against the window, watching the view go by before dozing off again.

Rachel's mind went into overdrive as she drove quietly, not really knowing what to make of the situation. Was this current predicament a sign that she was never going to _really _get to know him in the conventional way? Or was the fact that she actually enjoyed herself in his company (even when she knew full well that he wasn't going to remember any of this the next morning)... kind of scaring her?

She put her thoughts on hold as they approached the guardhouse of the gated community Jesse lived in. Rolling down the window, she smiled brightly to the man in the uniform as he walked up to her car.

"Just dropping off a friend," she explained casually as he shone his flashlight into the car.

Peering in, a look of realization dawned upon his face. "Oh, Mr. St. James..." he nodded, catching sight of the sleeping figure beside her. "And you are?" he shone the light in her face.

Squinting, Rachel scrunched up her face at the sudden brightness.

Internally, she was momentarily panicking. She didn't _really _want him to recollect this embarrassingly peculiar encounter with her. Especially considering he had no idea who she was. She quickly thought of an appropriate answer.

Time to put her drama workshops to good use.

"Barbra... Chenoweth," she spoke the first two names that came to mind.

"Barbra Chenoweth?" the guard raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"That's my name. Don't wear it out," Rachel laughed lightly, trying to hide any trace of nervousness in her demeanour.

"Oh-kay... I'll let Mr. St. James know that you were kind enough to send him home..." he began to scribble on his clipboard before the brunette interrupted him with a yelp. He looked up to her in exasperation.

"Oh, that won't be necessary. I did this out of the goodness of my heart, that's all. I'm not looking for eternal gratitude or anything," she immediately covered up her previous outburst with a dazzling smile as she gave a non-committal shrug.

The guard nodded, seemingly bored with the harmless teenager. "Go right in, miss."

As she drove in, Rachel smiled to herself.

_Well._.. she was a better actress than she thought.

Then again, it wasn't really acting back there. She really _was_ just a harmless teenager, after all.

Recognizing the number of the house on the mailbox (it matched the one in his license) that read 'St. James', she pulled into the driveway. Trying not to gawk at the massive house sprawled before her, she turned off her engine.

Taking a moment to look around from the fountain in the courtyard to the porch, Rachel then turned to look at her passenger.

She scooted closer to him and nudged his shoulder softly.

Jesse stirred and looked over to her, sleep in his eyes.

"Hi," she breathed with a soft smile.

"Hi," he returned the smile with his own.

"You're home," she stated, glancing to the house and back to him.

"Thanks to you."

"As random as that may be... yes."

"You really are an angel," he uttered whilst leaning forward towards her, his face becoming more apparent in the light.

_God, he's so beautiful._

"I'm not," Rachel whispered, her heart pounding in her ears as he didn't _stop _leaning forward.

Just as his lips began to brush against hers, she regained rational thought and quickly pulled back.

"Jesse, no. This is a terrible idea," she shook her head breathlessly. No matter how much she pulled back, they were still in close proximity to each other and it was driving her closer and closer to 'Bad Decision-Ville'.

"Why?" Jesse frowned as his hazel eyes searched her face.

"Because a) we don't even know each other... b) you smell like a tequila factory and c)..." Rachel began listing off as her voice gained more confidence in her (in her opinion) wise decision before it trailed off. She studied his handsome features as he watched her.

"...I really, _really _want to make out with you too," she whimpered, shaking her head at how desirable _one_ boy could be.

There was a brief pause before Jesse responded.

"What about how _you _smell?" he threw the question right back at her, totally missing the important points of her spiel.

_I hate you, alcohol._

"No, I'm pretty sure that's all you," the brunette narrowed her eyes at him, trying to hold on to whatever last shred of patience she had with the night.

"Yeah... you smell nice, actually," he nodded with a shrug of his broad shoulders as he lowered his eyes to his lap.

"Thanks," Rachel sighed, staring at him.

Just at that moment, a face suddenly popped up by the passenger window. Letting out a shriek, it took Rachel a long while to realize it was just a girl about her age.

Unfazed, Jesse popped open the door and took an unsteady step out of the car. "Hey, Manson," he greeted the said girl who stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched him.

"Hey, Happy Hour Hal," she answered him, her voice tinged with amusement. The girl had dreads in her hair and was clad in a 'Rolling Stones' baby-tee and sweatpants. No doubt she was probably a fellow inhabitant of the St. James manor.

Ignoring her, Jesse continued on his way towards the house.

Looking over to the driver, the said girl arched an eyebrow. "Who the Hell are you?"

"I-I'm just a friend. I didn't get him drunk if that's what you're thinking," Rachel stumbled over her words slightly, thinking it was better to not lie to the girl standing by her car. She looked like she meant business.

"It's not," she replied, staring down at the innocent-looking brunette.

"Oh... well... that's good..." Rachel responded, trying to decipher the curtness of the girl's tone.

Staring up at the menacing figure, Rachel noticed that she was actually quite pretty. Heck, her features were gorgeous. The sophomore made out her defined cheekbones, the cleft in her chin, her full lips... she held a striking resemblance to Jesse. Minus the dreadlocks in her almost black hair. She _had _to be related to the guy.

A wretching noise suddenly caught their attention. Both girls turned to look at the direction the sound originated from. Jesse stood, hunched over the bushes by the steps leading up to the porch. He was in the midst of heaving his guts out.

"That's just gorgeous. Whenever he starts attacking the rose bushes, you _know _he's not going to remember a thing tomorrow," the obvious relative of Jesse cringed in disgust as she stared at the pitiful sight.

Rachel didn't know whether to take that as a blessing or a curse.

"Is he always like this?" the young ingenue asked tentatively as she too watched Jesse continue to throw up.

"No... he's a lightweight when it comes to booze. Only downs the stuff when he's in deep shit. He's a drama emperor that way."

"Is Jesse in trouble?" came the curious question as Rachel looked up to the other girl, eyes widened.

'Dreads' met her gaze. "My parents are coming back for the weekend and he... wait, why am I telling you this again?" she arched an eyebrow, obviously not wanting to get into the whole story.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to pry," Rachel hastily apologised, sitting up straighter in her seat.

The unknown girl raised her hand, shaking it off.

"Nahh... it's cool. Look, thanks again for bringing my brother home. But, I think I'd better go do some damage control now," she quirked a smile, jabbing a thumb in Jesse's direction.

_Brother. She knew it._

"Yes, of course," Rachel returned her smile and stayed there, watching as the girl jogged over to help Jesse get inside.

Sitting there alone in the comfort of the silence that surrounded her, the brunette had a serious awakening.

Rachel realized that she had just witnessed Jesse St. James, knocked off the pedestal she had built for him inside her head.

He wasn't the perfect image of the guy who could do no wrong (granted, _she _had given him the title in the first place).

He was real and raw with a past and he certainly had his weaknesses.

She realized she was immensely naive in not noticing all that before.

She should just take this as a lesson learned and store her experience under the category of 'petty school girl crushes'. Then, she should just move on (because really, she didn't actually know the first thing about him besides the image he projected upon other people).

So, why did her heart still flutter when she thought about his eyes, his smile...

Him.

(Imperfections and all).


	7. Reflect

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! The feedback I received from the previous chapter was amazing! I'm so glad you enjoyed Drunk!Jesse. It was certainly a joy to write him. Thank you so much for the heart warming response. You guys are the best.**

**Lauren: Haha... I'm glad you think my rendition of Drunk!Jesse is worth paying money for! :D**

**On to your questions...Yes, I am a 'Friends' fan actually. Drunk!Monica has always been one of my many, many inspirations in writing out a drunk person in a story. In the previous chapter, I slipped in one line from 'Friends'. But, other than that: it was 100% Jesse St. James talking right there. **

**And it's funny that you brought up your next question because this chapter in particular centers on the tying of loose ends and the filling of holes throughout the story. I realized that it needed to be done before we approach the next chapter, which is a prelude to the climax. I'll get to that later ;)**

**Wendla: I ****had**** to acknowledge your review because it was so freakin' hilarious to read. I'm so glad Jesse brought you that much joy. You're gold.**

**Criss: Hahahah... Rachel is definitely an admirable girl in making the right decision. I would have definitely taken advantage of him as well. (Drag him into the backseat right there and then XD)**

**Okay, on to this chapter:**

**These are basically some entries of Rachel's diary throughout the course of events in the story. It explains a lot about her internal battle with the men in her life: Finn, Jesse, Puck and even Mr. Schuester.**

**We get to see how her thoughts on Jesse evolves throughout the story. From admiring him as a fan, to being sexually attracted to him, to thinking something could happen between them, to her feelings blossoming into something more real,**** to realizing her efforts may be fruitless** ... and more. What these two have is anything but simple.

**It's a relatively short chapter, but it needed to be done for clarification and for the next chapter to happen.**

**Well, it's time to read, enjoy and review.**

**Have fun, guys!**

**

* * *

**

_Dear Diary,_

_It was an absolute disaster._

_Operation: Dakota Stanley went awry in the worst of ways. Not only did he refuse to even look at us, but we were informed that his fee is insanely over the budget we had in mind. We drove all the way to Carmel High... only to come back feeling MORE hopeless than before._

_AND they have __Jesse __St.__James__._

_I once heard he doesn't even sleep. Like Edward Cullen... or a crazed insomniac. He downs so many 'Red Bulls' and protein shakes in a day, it's impossible for him to stop moving around._

_And they have him as a leader. I mean, everyone knows once the captain of your ship is dedicated and __there__, everyone sort of falls into line and follows his/her lead. It's only natural._

_I like to think of myself as the head of 'New Directions', but really... everyone knows I'm kidding myself. I saw it the first time Mr. Schue quit on us. I __tried__ to delegate the tasks as fairly and aptly as I could, but what did I get in return? Name-callings of 'bossy' and 'wanna-be queen'! _

_Then, Finn comes along (in that beautiful, knight-in-shining-armour way of his) and just starts yammering off exactly what __I__ said like five minutes before! And everyone acts like they've just received a ray of hope from the Heavens or something. Hence, Finn became the unspoken leader. And to be honest... he isn't Jesse St. James._

_I saw that fierceness in Jesse's eyes when we went to Carmel for Dakota. Finn, however, is sometimes not even there. So, I feel it is my duty to be the best (potential) girlfriend I can be to him and __make__ him realize what a great singer/leader he can be._

_Even if I can't seem to stop thinking about Jesse St. James._

_

* * *

_

_Dear Diary,_

_I left 'New Directions'._

_I know I said that I was going to work hard in making it the coolest club it can be with Finn faithfully by my side... but, I can't. I just can't anymore._

_First of all, Mr. Schue made it clear to me he realizes how good I am... but, he still won't give me the part of 'Maria' because he doesn't want the others to know that I'm better than them (or something of that derivative)._

_COME ON! THEY KNOW, OKAY?_

_He's just jealous of me. Everyone knows it._

_To make matters worse... I went to see Jesse St. James again. _

_I can't even bear to pen down that experience, Diary. I can't even begin to explain how one second, I'm a total admirer of his talent and leadership qualities (only from afar) ... and the next second, I'm suddenly picturing him naked. _

_Furthermore, that said experience did not end well. I went home drenched in beer, successfully making an ass out of myself in attempting a conversation with him, and having newfound information that Jesse St. James is a womanizer (not that that should really matter to me, though)._

_Then, Finn suddenly began to shower me with attention. It was so heavenly._

_It definitely compensated the upsetting run-in I had with Jesse before. I knew I needed to get my mind off of the (more or less) stranger from Vocal Adrenaline. So, I allowed myself to reciprocate Finn's sudden affections. _

_I felt myself falling hard and fast... but, it was more of an act of desperation than genuine love. Before I knew it, I kissed him at the bowling alley. It was a spur of the moment thing. Granted, it was awkward and his lips were kind of dry (unprepared, of course)... but, I convinced myself it was the right thing to do._

_UNTIL I found out about Finn's motives._

_Diary, it hurts too much to even write it all down... Let's just say that he was only trying to seduce me back into Glee Club so he could get a shot at a scholarship if they win __something__._

_Oh, and in the midst of his 'wooing'... he failed to tell me that he had impregnated Quinn._

_I bet Juliet never had this kind of problem with Romeo._

_

* * *

_

_Dear Diary,_

_I am bound to grow old and alone... with forty-seven different cats. I just know it. It's written in the stars for me._

_I enjoy writing lists... Perhaps this will sting less if I just list out the reasons my love life could be worthy of an obituary._

_FIRSTLY: Finn and Quinn are still very much together. She threatened me to stay away from him the other day. Is it really so hard for her to realize I'm there for __both__ of them if they need me? Sorry for trying to be nice. _

_SECONDLY: I tried to make Puck the rebound guy (I know, I know... what the hell, right?)... But, he's actually a halfway-decent guy once you get to know him. AND a great kisser too. It didn't exactly work out because he's somehow in love with Quinn. Figures._

_THIRDLY: I ran into Jesse in dance class the other day. I thought we had made some sort of connection... he kept staring at me... he even took the initiative to dance with me... AND HE EVEN TALKED TO ME. As in, him being the one to instigate a conversation. I thought I was going to __freak__out__. I mean, I knew I allowed myself to fall head over heels for Finn in order to take my mind off of Jesse... and I made out with Puck to take my mind off of Finn... so, in essence, Jesse was the main reason for all the craziness. I thought everything was going well... until he left with another girl. _

_I was wrong. Listing does __not__ make it sting less._

_

* * *

_

_Dear Diary,_

_I saw another side to Jesse recently: Vulnerable._

_He was immensely inebriated when I found him. I took it upon as my responsibility to drive him home._

_What is that, by the way?_

_Why do I bother with boys who will never be interested in me? Why do I feel it my duty to help them or better them or change them? _

_I did it with Finn._

_I did it with Puck._

_And I recently did it with Jesse._

_The only difference was... well, I never thought I __**had**__ to do it with Jesse. And with him... I actually didn't know what to expect. Hence... I didn't know whether I was __capable__ in helping him with whatever problem he may have._

_He left my car that night. But, at the same time he left me feeling... Spent and __empty__ from trying to understand him... but, __whole__ from allowing me in to at least try. _

_I wanted more, but I knew I couldn't have it._

_First of all, he's from Vocal Adrenaline. Fraternizing with the enemy never did anyone much good._

_Secondly, he doesn't even know my name. The fact that we've been running in to each other again and again, and there still isn't an established relationship between us... means something, right?_

_Thirdly... well, the above two reasons suffice (more than I wish it would)._

_So, I tried to forget about him. But, that only lead to even more pain._

_I had developed a crush on Mr. Schuester. This ended with him crushing my dream in the most humiliating of ways. He tried to do so through a song. That stung._

_I tried to focus all my energy in winning Finn back again (what else could I do, right?). I enlisted Kurt's help in giving me a makeover. It was a nice change; more raunchy. I just had fun with it. But, that ended in Finn calling me a 'sad clown hooker' to my face. Who in their right mind puts up with this kind of treatment, Diary? Me. Because Finn was the closest shot I had to forgetting about Jesse. _

_Trying to make nice and forget that Finn had hurt me in the worst way a boy could hurt a fairly vain girl (by telling her she looked ugly) was the way to go, I thought. So, I invited him to take the yearbook photo for Glee Club with me considering he was my co-captain. Besides, everyone else deemed it social suicide (as if they're social statuses weren't already dead and buried). I figured he could redeem himself with me and we could be there for each other. But, no... He didn't even turn up that day. I was alone._

_Yet, I still hadn't forgotten about Jesse amidst all this._

_It's time for a serious wake-up call, Diary. 'Sectionals' is only a mere few days away. If my life is in shambles... that doesn't mean I'll allow it to leak into my career. We are going to __**win;**__ I'll make damn sure of it. _

_I swear upon my name, Rachel Barbra Berry*, that it is going to be a happy day that day._

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: You guessed it. The next chapter is going to be centered around 'Sectionals'!**

**What's so special about the next chapter?**

**Well, we'll be witnessing the return of Jesse's P.O.V.! That's right. Since you guys enjoyed being in his head so much, I figured, why not? (It's only natural that he'll be there at Sectionals to scope out the 'competition')**

**Lover boy's P.O.V. will be incorporated along with Rachel's P.O.V. Hence, 'Sectionals' will feature both their perspectives as we switch back and forth between them. Should be interesting, right? I hope you guys think so! **

**How will Rachel react in seeing him again after the drunken incident?**

**Will Jesse remember her from his inebriated stupor?**

**All your questions will be answered in due time as we edge closer and closer to the end.**


	8. Sectionals

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Proud Mary', 'Don't Stop Believing', 'Don't Rain On My Parade'... and Nick's awesome M&Ms.**

**Author's Note: I'm going to get straight to it, guys (because you and I both know that we just want to get to the story already!)...**

**This chapter is centered around 'Sectionals', as I mentioned in the previous chapter.**

**It features both Rachel and Jesse's perspectives. Oh, I love putting their thoughts in the same chapter. It just solidifies how perfect they are for each other.**

**You will get a taste of Strict!Jesse or Masterful!Jesse (as I like to put it) because he totally shows you why he's the leader of Vocal Adrenaline. Be forewarned that you may want to maul him and ask him to spank you after reading this. *winkwink***

**You will see just a little bit of Conflicted!Jesse in the beginning, which leads to the awesome Shelby Corcoran stepping in. Yes, she is in this chapter. And yes... she is 'the bomb-diggity' and I wish she was my 'mother/authority figure thingy' because she's totally bad ass.**

**You will see the return of Nick Mitchell (remember him? He's Jesse's BFF, to put it in girly terms) and this time: he's bringing along a bag of candy and that 'Captain Obvious' side to him we love so dearly.**

**There really isn't anything left for you to do but READ, ENJOY, and LEAVE A REVIEW.**

**Have fun and stay loose, guys!**

**

* * *

**

Jesse looked around, taking in his surroundings as he sat comfortably in the plush, velvet seat. Crossing his arms across his solid chest, he could see the hall fill up with more and more people as they filed in endlessly. It was mere minutes to showtime (he knew because he kept checking his watch every five seconds, considerably bored).

"Tell me why we're here again?" he didn't bother turning to look at his teacher as she took a seat beside him.

Shelby Corcoran heaved an irritated sigh. As if she hadn't already explained their presence at this particular district's 'Sectionals' about a million times to the team.

"To scope out the competition," she answered shortly, focusing her attention on the stage manager as he flitted about on stage, ensuring that everything was ready.

Jesse let out a genuine chuckle. "Competition? Seriously?" he asked incredulously as he lifted an eyebrow.

"Cut the arrogance, Jesse," Shelby sent him a look of stern exasperation. She wasn't in the mood to deal with one of her captain's miva outbursts. He was, after all, rather gifted in stunning the opposition to silence whenever he felt the need to be heard.

"No offense, but I haven't exactly known the meaning of the word 'competition' since way back when, Miss Corcoran," He ignored the 'arrogance' remark and continued on, a smirk plastered on his handsome face as he turned to look upon the empty stage.

"Didn't I tell you to cut the arrogance?" her voice lowered warningly. She was the team's director for a reason. One did not test her patience and leave unscathed. Even if Jesse was one of her favourite student, she was still the authority figure who demanded respect where it was due.

"Forgive me for stating the obvious," he challenged, keeping his eyes onstage and his smirk intact.

"You're doing an hour of calisthenics when we get back," Shelby declared crisply.

She would not tolerate Jesse's obvious bad mood today.

"Make it two and you've got a deal," the male lead turned to face his superior, the smirk replaced with a sarcastic smile.

Shelby narrowed her eyes. "You need to cool off, mister. Whatever that's going on _at home_, keep it there. Until you want to talk about it, I will not accept this kind of behaviour from a student of mine," she pointed to him firmly before letting the words hang in the air for him to absorb.

Jesse set his jaw and turned away to face the stage again.

Shelby was the closest thing he had to a proper adult authority figure in his life and she was usually spot on whenever she guessed what was wrong with him.

This time was no different.

* * *

It was official.

Rachel Berry was freaking out.

Sitting nervously in the crowd, shrouded in darkness, she could barely hear a word the host had to say about the sponsors.

Wrestling with her crazy nerves, the brunette kept standing up to smoothen her dress down before sitting again. After the fifth time she did it, Puck had growled for her to "keep her panties on and chill".

Once the speech ended, Rachel gave a whimper as she pressed her cold palms to her hot cheeks.

"I'm either going to hurl or spontaneously combust. I just know it," she lamented dramatically, shaking her head.

"And I thought _I_ was the pregnant one," Quinn's wry, amused voice suddenly came from beside Rachel.

The host onstage mentioned something about 'getting the show on the road' or something equally as cliché, the brunette didn't really focus. All she made out was the fact that he introduced the '_Jane Addams Reform School_' as the first competitor.

Clapping her hands together a little too vigorously, she (along with the rest of the audience) waited in anticipation for the students to file onto the stage.

That was before Rachel felt her heart sink and drop to the pit of her stomach.

The girls rolled onstage with wheelchairs.

Wasn't that supposed to be _their _act?

_Kill. Me. Now._

_

* * *

_

"Basic Hairography. Very weak," Shelby commented in a monotone as they watched the '_Jane Addams_' girls roll about singing 'Proud Mary'.

Jesse stared at the performance, his face unreadable.

"Not to mention 'weird'. What's with the wheelchairs?" he mumbled quietly, rubbing his chin in puzzlement while inclining his head towards his coach.

Shelby shrugged, glad that Jesse wasn't being a whiny bitch to her anymore. "I'm assuming they've taken the term 'rolling' in the literal sense."

Jesse heaved an exasperated as he leaned back in his seat, his long legs straightened out before him. "I fail to recognize the relevance or the creative appeal behind this," he shook his head, crossing his arms again in defiance.

Shelby kept her eyes on the girls. "That's good."

There was a silence between them.

"This is such a waste of time," he muttered after a few moments, unable to endure any more.

The team director rolled her eyes and looked over to the potential superstar. "You didn't honestly expect to come here and be genuinely entertained, did you? This is business, Jesse," she responded firmly as a teacher to a lesser protégé would.

He furrowed his brow. "Yeah... but, they could _at least_ give a semi-decent show. One of them just got up to shake her 'booty'," he pointed the girl out casually as his tone remained accusatory.

Shelby wanted to laugh at the fact that Jesse had just said the word 'booty' with such ease. Almost like he said it on a daily basis as a catch phrase.

"Perhaps your standards are too high," she uttered with a sigh as her eyes now focused back onto the performance.

He made a little mumble of agreement.

"Which explains why I'm here and not up there," he looked to his teammates as they were seated on his other side before glancing to Shelby and back onstage.

"Good. Don't ever forget that," she smiled, nodding in approval as she began to clap her hands once the performance ended.

* * *

Faint. Dizzy. Nauseous.

Rachel could almost feel the darkness begin to cloud her vision.

The stage director had just informed them that they would be the next to enter the green room to prepare for their performance which was set to go after '_Haverbrook School for the Deaf_'.

Nodding silently, the brunette was thinking to herself that it was just _one _performance ripped off from them. It wasn't going to be a big deal. She could think up of one song to replace 'Proud Mary' in the nick of time and save the day.

She _is_ Rachel Berry, by thunder. And she could do anything.

That thought kind of dissipated once the next competitors began to sing 'Don't Stop Believing'.

The rest of the glee club had their jaws on the floor.

Rachel, however, jumped from her seat whilst swallowing back a sob.

She wouldn't tolerate this. At. All.

She ordered the rest to follow her to the green room at that red hot second.

_Time for a group meeting._

_

* * *

_

Jesse waved off the bag of 'M&M's Nick offered from beside him. Shrugging, his best friend continued to toss one after the other into his mouth.

To be honest, Jesse was slowly losing his appetite at hearing his teammates' comments of the current school onstage. He didn't know how much more of it he could take.

"Oh for goodness' sakes."

"They're kidding, right? They _have _to be."

"Is Ashton here? Is he going to like come out and punk us or something?"

"Are you sure this is a singing competition and not the _sympathy soiree_?"

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I just found blood in my ears."

"Since when did they open the competition up for freaks?"

"Yeah, freaks who are medically diagnosed as tone deaf."

The group erupted into raucous laughter at the so-called hilarious wit of the resident asshole of Vocal Adrenaline, Tristan Caine.

Nick smirked as he turned to look at Jesse. He knew his homeboy was about to put those jokers in their place.

"Guys," came Jesse's deep voice from the end of their row.

The laughter died down as they turned to look at their captain's unfathomable expression.

"Be cool," was all he said as his gaze swept the entire team calmly.

Tristan scoffed rudely as he alone spoke up once more. "Cool? What? Are you suddenly from the 60s? What kind of a word is 'cool' anymore?" the dirty-blond fellow senior sneered.

_Jesus, this guy's been wishing he was me since he was a foetus._

Jesse remained unfazed as his eyes landed on his classmate. "Why? Too many syllables for you?" he responded, a smirk tugging on the corner of his lips.

Quiet snickers went around the team as Tristan gave his captain a menacing glare. But, he said nothing more.

"The boy's got a point, T-man. M&M?" Nick chuckled quietly, offering Tristan the yellow bag of candy only to be given the finger by said "T-man".

"Jesse, come on. You and the rest of us _know _for a fact that this..." Giselle gestured to the students onstage, "... is pathetic," she gave him an obvious look, raising her perfectly-groomed eyebrows.

"Last time I checked, making fun of handicaps is pretty much thought of as classless. _Are_ you classless?" Jesse shot back, his tone carrying a dangerous edge to it as he narrowed his eyes.

To the outsider, it may have seemed like Jesse was giving a smouldering look. And that would've probably been the cue for said outsider to swoon and throw her (or his) underwear to him.

But, that was actually the very moment Vocal Adrenaline metaphorically pissed their pants.

Giselle's face changed, her expression softening. She shook her head 'no'.

"I didn't think so. Now everyone keep your mouths shut and get it together. We're Vocal Adrenaline, for fuck's sake. I'd like to keep at least _some_ shred of dignity in sitting here," Jesse's tone was even as he addressed the entire team, his expression hard and pretty much 'not-to-be-messed-with-_damn_'.

They stayed silent throughout the rest of the performance.

He glanced fleetingly to Shelby who was in the midst of smiling in approval. Not that she'd ever voice it out loud. Her male lead's head was big enough as it is. She didn't need to further inflate his ego with songs of praise (though he earned them time after time).

Jesse joined in with the applause as '_Haverbrook_' finished their song.

It was going to take a miracle for the performances to get any better.

* * *

Rachel stood alone behind the curtain.

Her heart was pounding in her ears and it felt like her throat was closing up.

Oh, shit...

She shut her eyes tightly and steadied her breathing. She could go through with this. She _knew_ she could.

**Rachel Berry** was slushied daily.

**Rachel Berry** received mean comments on her _MySpace _videos all the time.

**Rachel Berry** occasionally had her heart broken and shattered to pieces by numerous guys.

And that hasn't brought her down. It never would. She _knew_ that in her heart of hearts because her dreams were bigger than all the crap she had to go through. After all, it would only make for a much more interesting autobiography in the future, right?

Hell, she was about to step out there and show the world she was **Rachel Barbra freakin' Berry**.

And she was here to stay.

The starlet yanked open the curtains with sudden flourish.

* * *

"_**Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter**__**  
**__**Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter**__**"**_

Jesse turned around his seat along with the rest of the audience as a voice floated back in the center aisle. The angelic voice caught him by surprise, considering he was already mentally prepared for the butchering of a Barbra classic.

"_**Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade**__**"**_

His mouth went slightly agape as she dragged out that last note almost perfectly. He almost shoved Nick out of the way while trying to catch a glimpse of her face.

"_**Don't tell me not to fly, I simply got to**__**  
**__**If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you"**_

Jesse finally managed to make out her figure as she marched further down the aisle, pointing in the direction of the audience, coincidentally where he was seated. Not that anyone would notice that, of course.

"_**Who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade**__**  
**__**I'll march my band out, I'll beat my drum"**_

Her voice was sending shivers up and down his spine. Jesse actually found himself leaning forward to see more of her as she skipped into another aisle playfully. That never happened before. Not with anyone within his age group, at least.

"_**And if I'm fanned out, your turn at bat, sir**__**  
**__**At least I didn't fake it, hat, sir**__**  
**__**I guess I didn't make it,"**_

Jesse smiled a little to himself as her voice grew gentler, more flirtatious as she teased a member of the audience.

_Why did her voice sound so goddamned familiar all of the sudden? _

"_**But whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection**__**  
**__**A freckle on the nose of life's complexion**__**  
**__**The Cinderella or the shine apple of its eye,"**_

Nick exchanged glances with Jesse, who returned the glance with a considerably more excited one. "Am I going to have to point it out?" his friend raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile on his face. Jesse frowned. "Point what out?"

"_**I gotta fly once, I gotta try once,**__**  
**__**Only can die once, right, sir?**__**  
**__**Ooh, life is juicy, juicy and you see,**__**  
**__**I gotta have my bite, sir."**_

"That she's your soul mate," Nick chortled, shaking his head incredulously to the fellow senior. Jesse didn't exactly get what prompted the guy to suddenly make such a random comment. The VA lead just gave him a weird look before looking to the girl as she was now onstage.

"_**Get ready for me love, 'cause I'm a "comer"**__**  
**__**I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer**__**  
**__**Don't bring around the cloud to rain on my parade,**__**"**_

Jesse's jaw dropped as her face became clearer in the spotlight. He froze and his eyes widened. Nick's guffaws of laughter didn't even register in his brain. "Ring a bell now?" obviously his friend had recognized the brunette from the dance class before he did because he was a clueless idiot, apparently (self-proclaimed... which took a lot for him to admit even to himself).

"_**I'm gonna live and live NOW!**__**  
**__**Get what I want, I know how!**__**  
**__**One roll for the whole shebang!**__**  
**__**One throw that bell will go clang,**__**  
**__**Eye on the target and wham,**__**  
**__**One shot, one gun shot and bam!**__**"**_

Jesse was pretty sure he was hard. That last 'bam' of hers definitely confirmed that he was currently giving her a standing ovation while seated. Yeah, you know what he means.

"_**Hey, Mr. Arnstein, here I am ..."**_

Jesse shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He immediately began thinking of drowning kittens.

This girl was really something else. How he hadn't approached her before was beyond him.

Her voice... he suddenly felt an itch to rush onstage and perform a duet with her.

Okay, that thought didn't exactly help him in dealing with his _situation_.

"_**I'll march my band out, I will beat my drum,**__**  
**__**And if I'm fanned out, your turn at bat, sir,**__**  
**__**At least I didn't fake it, hat, sir,**__**  
**__**I guess I didn't make it,"**_

Having everything 'under control', Jesse didn't even bother to turn his attention to the rest of her team as they filed out.

He knew.

He just knew that they couldn't possibly be better than her. He continued to watch her with a half-smile on his face, mesmerized.

"_**Get ready for me love, 'cause I'm a "comer"**__**  
**__**I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer**__**  
**__**Nobody, no, nobody, is gonna rain on my..."**_

Jesse stood up slowly. He saw her hitting that last note perfectly before it even happened.

"_**...parade!**__**"**_

And Jesse was always right.

As she held that last note, he applauded along with the rest of the audience who too stood up in awe. Shaking his head lightly, Jesse had to chuckle at the fact that this was how they met again. He stared on, never stopping his applause even when the song ended.

He watched her grin breathlessly at the response from the crowd before introducing her team.

A miracle _did _happen, after all.

* * *

Rachel shrieked along with the rest of '_New Directions' _as the host announced them as the winners for the 'Sectionals' round.

"We won? We won!" she kept yelling at the top of her voice as she leapt into each and everyone's arms, embracing them tightly (even to the point of zero-blood circulation).

After everything they went through, they actually had a shot at 'Regionals' now.

Some of them screamed, some laughed, others cried. Rachel did all of the above.

Everything from that point onwards was a blur as they got their humongous trophy and pictures taken from every angle. Time whizzed right by and before any of them knew it, it was time to descend the stage.

Rachel loved the attention, but she couldn't wait to _celebrate _and tell Mr. Schue. She was giddy and high with absolute joy as everyone stayed huddled, jumping together and just plain going crazy at the fact that they _owned _those cheats before them.

The brunette laughed and didn't think the day could get any better.

Then she saw _him_.

Time stopped. It literally stopped as she found him standing a few feet away from her and her teammates. His hazel eyes were on her alone.

She didn't know how much time had passed as their gazes met and both remained unmoving.

Then he began to take a step towards her.

And another.

And another.

Rachel froze. Things moved in slow-motion as she heard nothing but the pounding of her heart and her intakes of breath.

A smile slowly began to form on his perfect face as he strode towards her with ease.

Subconsciously, she began turning her body towards him.

He came close enough for his voice to be heard before stopping in front of her.

His eyes ran over her features, studying her as he maintained the easy smile that played on his lips. Lips she almost kissed just the other day. She suddenly wondered whether he remembered her from that night.

Rachel said nothing as she stared at Jesse, a soft smile gracing her own delicate features.

He broke the silence.

"Good job up there, Barbra."

The brunette blinked. The first thought that sprang to mind was whether he was referring to the _Barbra _Streisand song she had just performed or the name, _Barbra _Chenoweth (wince) she had spewed out to the guard during that embarrassing night with him.

The knowing glint in his eye answered her question.

Before she could respond, he gave her a wink and backed away before striding off towards the exit.

Rachel felt her legs again.

Touching her face, she knew she looked flushed as her cheeks heated up more so than they did before.

Something told her it wouldn't be the last she saw of Jesse St. James.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, guys. We're nearing the end. **

**Come on, you saw this coming before it happened because like Jesse, you're kind of psychic and usually right. **

**There is one more chapter to go. You all know what it is. **

**It's time to go to the music store, ladies and gentlemen!**

**But, I will be writing it out a little differently, of course. A lot of you may know by now that I have a thing for writing out songs in a way that it could even be featured on the show. Well, I'll be incorporating that as I'll be using the *entire* Lionel Richie song performed by Lea and Jon. **

**So, there you go. One more chapter to go.**

_**And then some.**_

**(Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my promise *wink*)**

**Leave a review on what you think!**

**Until next time, lovelies!**


	9. Hello

**Disclaimer: I may own "musical sex", but I do not own Lionel Richie's "Hello" or Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" (or 'the strut'... didn't John Travolta sort of revolutionize that?)**

**Author's Note: Wow. It's finally here. The last ever chapter. **

**First of all, you guys... are there really any words to describe how AMAZING each and every one of you are? Not just the reviewers (though, you guys are my favourite hehe) but every person who has READ this and made it accessible to everyone else. I've written this piece to spread the St. Berry love and just as a creative outlet for all my pent-up fangirl obsession with St. Sexy over here. **

**I never thought it would get this much response and feedback and oh snap! Is that a tear in my eye? (just ignore it, okay?) You ALL deserve a Jesse St. James. And the fact that a majority of you are quite taken with my rendition of the sex magnet... that is an honour. Because, really, I think we Jesse fangirls have pretty high standards when it comes to men, don't we? I think so.**

**Besides you awesome people, I was very, very much inspired by the 1996 'Romeo & Juliet' soundtrack to write this. If you haven't watched it or **_**at least **_**listened to 'Angel' by Gavin Friday and 'To You I Bestow' by Mundy... DO SO NOW OMG. It's amazing, I kid you not. I was inspired by the fact that Romeo & Juliet had this sort of 'admiring from afar' thing going on. **

**True, they did the whole 'admire from afar', 'fraternizing with the enemy', 'both want to sex each other up senseless **_**anyway**_**' (I swear, I'm not making fun of Shakespeare. I am madly in love with the man. I was just oversimplifying things, that's all) all in the span of a very short while. I incorporated that into 'When Rachel Met Jesse', but dragged it out a little longer. My main mission was always to ensure that the evolution of their relationship remained relevant. I sincerely hope you all got a sense of what I was trying to portray in this story.**

**From the very beginning, I was set on writing only their pre-actual relationship. I didn't really see any need in writing what happened after that because I try to stay very close to canon. So, what happens after they meet in the music store... is exactly what happens in the show. **

**Except, in 'When Rachel Met Jesse', Shelby asks for Jesse's help only after he has actually gone out on his first date with her (the one he was referring to at the end of the Lionel Richie song... the Friday date). And the only help she actually enlisted was for him to somehow slip the tape she made into Rachel's possession. Everything else is real. **

**I'd also like to address some wonderful reviews/questions/messages from you guys:**

**FromTheBrain: In answer to your hope for a sequel/companion piece to 'When Rachel Met Jesse' and what it would contain... I don't think you'll be disappointed. ;)**

**C.L. Winters: Your review totally made my day. Come over to the St. Berry side, girlfriend. It's fun and full of sexiness over here. Hahahah...**

**VenusRising: Whether or not he remembers his drunken night is something I leave totally up to the interpretation of the reader. It could go both ways. (yes, I totally went all 'Inception' on that one) **

**SpringAwakening01: Yep. Last chapter. No worries, though. It's going to take a pack of wolves to keep me away from this fandom. I'll be writing a sequel/companion pieces. I'll get to that later ;) **

**FantasticallyFanatical: Haha... yes, as much as I hate to end it, I have to. They've gone to the music store. That's where my job ends. Sigh. But, alas! This is not the end of the companion pieces! You didn't think I wouldn't come back and bring Nick, Madison, Freddy, Tom, Tristan and more (not to mention more fic time for the rest of 'New Directions'), did ya? Of course not! **

**cut-thestring: I SWEAR THAT ISN'T A TEAR IN MY EYE, IT'S JUST DUST! You are such a sweetheart, thank you for that amazing compliment. Anytime someone relates me to 'master' and 'sexual' and 'Jesse'... I feel whole. Seriously. Does that mean I have no life? Probably... just a little. Hahah... as I explained above, there really is no point in me writing the entire second half of the season seeing as we know what happens.**

**Athena: You, my friend, have just been promoted to 'SUPA-FLY AWESOMENESS' due to the fact that you think my rendition of Jesse is one of the sexiest. Heck, you deserve a copy of him in your bedroom like right now! Thank you so much!**

**Original Grofette: (I love the title 'Grofette'. I'm going to start calling myself that more from now on) Thank you so, so, so, so, so much for your suggestions. I LOVE the idea of the unseen moments between Jesse and Rachel. I can kind of see that as a series of related one-shots. What do you think? I'll definitely put that on my 'to-write' list. Thanks so much again! You and your friend are AWESOME, darn it! (Damn these allergies... making me tear up again)**

**Alright, on to the chapter. I'm going to keep this short and sweet.**

**It is the music store scene.**

**It is the duet.**

**What's different about the duet this time is that I've used the entire 'Hello' song (check it out on YouTube, homies). Also, I've incorporated 'flashback scenes' in the song. The 'flashbacks' feature snippets from the story, which I feel suit the certain lyrics of the song very well. The 'flashbacks' also feature some "deleted" (so to speak) scenes I started writing but ended up not putting into the story as I didn't know where it would fit. So, they're now here in the song. "Deleted" scenes include a snippet of Jesse's dream and some Madison St. James love.**

_Flashbacks are written in italics and are at the centre. They are also separated by line dividers to make reading easier._

**Well... I've prattled on as much as I could (probably earning a few groans here and there as you scroll down to **_**just get to the story already**_**)...**

**There really is nothing left for you to do but READ, ENJOY and REVIEW.**

**At least one last time. =)**

**

* * *

**

It had been almost a month since they last saw each other.

Rachel thought about him every single one of those days.

She was still optimistic even after the first week of zero 'Jesse-run-in'(s).

She began to doubt their questionable destiny after the second week.

She wanted to die once the third week came around.

The young star realized that she had a choice to make: either spend the rest of her life regretting her cowardice in really pursuing something she had put her faith into ('something' being the potential going-ons between her and the curly-haired hero of her [now] fantasies) or simply move on. The second option seemed more painless. Little did she know, she was further from the truth... by about a light-year.

In fulfilling that second option, the brunette began to shift her attention back to Finn. She figured her attempt this time would be able to lead to something, considering the special attention he kept giving her throughout 'Sectionals'. And she was pretty sure that (this time) it wasn't something she had creatively cooked up within the confines of her imagination.

Rachel needed to focus her energy on something or at least someone. Her mind, body and spirit were in constant need of continuous rejuvenation through any (natural) means necessary. It was the way she was built. Granted, a majority of the human population would agree that being in a relationship with someone like that required patience and enthusiasm... a lot of it.

So, it wasn't a surprise when Finn decided she was smothering him.

Consequently, the footballer (at that moment: basketball captain) told her off. He gave her the four-one-one on what was up between them. And 'what was up between them'... was anything but genuine want to be with one another. In fact, the lowdown of the matter was that he just didn't want to be her boyfriend anymore. And he told it to her straight.

Rachel didn't take it lightly. But, not for the reasons one may think.

She cried.

She gave him what-for through a song (it was her style).

She was angry.

And it had nothing to do with the male lead of 'New Directions'.

It was the fact that she had allowed herself to be that silly, little girl who jumped into things she didn't really want in the first place.

Because what she really wanted... was someone so far out of her dimension, he may as well have been deemed an extra-terrestrial.

So, she took all that pent-up energy and channelled it into the 'Hello' assignment Mr. Schue had given the club. From that point on, she decided that she was going to be a cold, hard bitch to anyone who tried to get close to her. She was going to be ruthless. She wouldn't give a damn about Finn or any other boy for that matter. She was going to get rid of her mushy, sappy, silly feelings and become 'untouchable'.

And then he happened.

Again.

The boy who would break down her barriers.

He was standing before her like something out of a dream.

Surrounded by music sheets of love songs, Rachel realized that her faith in destiny was renewed once more.

What she didn't realize was the fact that she began to sputter out his name and relation to 'Vocal Adrenaline'. Why did she do that? She didn't know. That information was somewhat irrelevant to the two now that they had experienced so much together... but, at the same time: been through nothing at all.

She stared into his hazel eyes as he peered right back into her own orbs. His gaze was magnetizing.

It stripped her naked and bare before him.

(She had never felt so violated, yet untouched in her entire life)

It registered to her that he had just mentioned her name. 'Rachel Berry' rolled off his tongue easily. He seemed to relish that realization just as much as she did. But, Rachel couldn't help wondering: had he known all this while? (The brunette watched his gaze lower to her lips for the briefest of moments before he cracked a casual smile, returning those heated eyes of his back to her own). She really couldn't tell.

Before she knew it, he was giving her a summarized review on what he thought of her performance from 'Sectionals'. It seemed that he had had the chance to really put more thought into what he witnessed from her that day. Definitely more well-thought-out than "Good job up there, Barbra" (she blushed at the memory). Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of him appraising her every note, every move. She wondered what it would take to please him. Musically (of course).

He straightened back up to his full height, his eyes never leaving hers. The smirk that had been playing on the edge of his inviting lips transformed into something more genuine as he gave her a slight nod of approval.

"... you're talented."

She figured he didn't say that very often. She knew because the moment he said it, he immediately moved towards another shelf of books. The young starlet sensed the foreign undertone behind his uttered words. Not regret. Just...slight awkwardness.

Rachel's heart still soared to the high heavens, nonetheless.

She trailed after him as he moved from one spot to another, a casual strut in his stride. Almost as if Justin Timberlake's 'Sexy Back' followed him around as the soundtrack to his saunter. Not that Rachel was complaining. Did she mention she happened to often dance like a video ho to JT's music? Alone in her room, of course.

The sophomore listened to him speak, the rise and fall of his deep voice describing everything and nothing to her as they jumped from topic to topic. He kept glancing back to her, smiling expectantly as if eager to hear her voice. It was only then had she realized she was being very uncharacteristically shy in his presence. Whenever his gaze met hers, making sure he hadn't lost her, his smile seemed to grow a little more. That provided her with much more confidence to step it up a little (even though that same gaze was enough to turn her into a bubbling puddle of goo).

And suddenly out of nowhere, he invited her to sing with him.

He returned the stunned expression on her face with a genuinely amused chuckle (he found her humility to be endearing) as they moved towards the piano in the centre of the music store.

The brunette blurted out that she was nervous. Okay, so it wasn't like she never performed before. She gave shows countless of times all the time. It was practically ingrained within her.

But, she never performed with him.

The memory of watching him perform a duet with that girl he ended up making out with onstage suddenly flashed in her head. She tentatively turned her attention to him as he was already seated by the piano bench.

He gave her a smile before averting his hazel eyes to the music sheet before him. Rachel couldn't help but give a light, soundless laugh at what he said next. The tinge of arrogance mixed with the subtle humour behind his words sent shivers down her spine. He managed to ease her nerves somewhat effortlessly with a grin, convincing her that she was with a pro who would ease her right into it. He'd take care of her.

The excited glimmer in her eyes answered everything.

Jesse's fingers began to glide across the keys, playing the opening notes of the all too familiar Lionel Richie song. His eyes remained on the music sheet as he was in the midst of getting the feel of the piece. Rachel's eyes, however, remained on him.

* * *

"_Jesse, I want to sing with you," Rachel managed to utter, her fingers entangled within his soft hair._

_They paused._

_He looked at her._

"_Let's do it then. Right now," he smiled._

_

* * *

_

She remembered that dream of hers. It was the first of many.

Jesse's lips parted.

"_**I've been alone with you inside my mind,**_

_**And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times."**_

_**

* * *

**_

_He placed feather-light kisses on both her cheeks and upon her forehead, down her nose, teasingly avoiding her plush lips. Pulling back, he took to undoing her blouse button-by-button, slowly decorating every inch of skin exposed with a caress of his lips. Her heartbeat accelerated from beneath his tongue as he gently traced his way down to her navel. He then realized his aching need of tasting her lips once more and rose up to satisfy that need. He was like a diver rising to the surface for oxygen in order to continue his journey further._

_

* * *

_

He remembered that dream of his. It was the first of many.

"_**I sometimes see you pass outside my door.**_

_**Hello... is it me you're looking for?"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_He was looking over in her direction._

_Without really thinking, Rachel sunk lower in her seat. And in just that split second, his gaze had absent-mindedly wandered over to her before he disappeared from sight completely._

_

* * *

_

Rachel smiled carefully and began to join in with him.

"_**I can see it in your eyes,**_

_**I can see it in your smile,"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_The girls daintily spun and sauntered their way onto the floor, teasing smiles playing on their faces. One that really captured Jesse's attention even gave him a fleeting glance, her smile growing before she turned her full attention on her__Saut de Chat.__He grinned, breathing a little heavily from the work-out as the other guys wolf-whistled and cheered along._

_

* * *

_

"_**You're all I've ever wanted**_

_**And my arms are open wide,"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_"Come on, I'm taking you home," the brunette declared, stuffing the wallet back into his pocket._

_"Uh-uh... stranger danger, stranger danger..." he argued in a sing-song voice, refusing to a move a step._

_

* * *

_

"_**Coz' you know just what to say,**_

_**And you know just what to do,"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Rachel had no idea how someone as drunk as he was could even recall such a random story, but she found herself staring at his lips as he spoke. And no other thought seemed to enter her mind._

_She had listened intently, not realizing that they're faces kept inching closer and closer as he had gone further into the story._

_"And then?" she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from his full lips._

_"And then..." he murmured huskily, his nose almost brushing against hers..._

_

* * *

_

"_**And I want to tell you so much..."**_

_**

* * *

**_

_"You really are an angel," he uttered whilst leaning forward towards her, his face becoming more apparent in the light._

_God, he's so beautiful._

_"I'm not," Rachel whispered, her heart pounding in her ears as he didn't__stop__leaning forward._

_His lips began to brush against hers..._

_

* * *

_

Rachel felt her face heat up as she stared at his fingers while they stilled momentarily upon the keys.

She bit her lip and looked up to him carefully from under her eyelashes to find him staring down at her, a half-smirk on his handsome face.

"_**... I love you."**_

She didn't dare meet his gaze in fear of totally losing her words there and then as Jesse continued to play the song effortlessly. He may have even been carrying out some improv here and there.

"_**Oooh, yeah..."**_ she shut her eyes, allowing the music to flow right through her. She felt the notes he played ingraining itself in every fibre of her being. It nearly left her breathless.

Jesse smiled to himself and continued the song.

"_**I long to see the sunlight in your hair,"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_"I'm sorry... at the risk of sounding cheesy... have we met before?" it was an honest question Jesse had been pondering on ever since he saw her. Especially her voice. There was definitely a familiar ring to it._

_She cleared her throat, crossing her arms across her chest with a shrug. "Um... no, I don't think so."_

_Jesse stared at her. Either he was the biggest idiot in the world or she was just this serendipitous thing that happened to him. He didn't know which idea was more daunting._

_

* * *

_

Rachel chanced a glance to the boy by her side.

"_**And tell you time and time again how much I care,"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_I never thought I __had __to help with Jesse. I actually didn't know what to expect. Hence... I didn't know whether I was __capable __in helping him with whatever problem he may have._

_He left my car that night. But, at the same time he left me feeling... Spent and __empty __from trying to understand him... but, __whole __from allowing me in to at least try._

_I wanted more, but I knew I couldn't have it._

_

* * *

_

Jesse met her gaze and joined in with her.

"_**Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow,"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Feeling someone's stare on her, the young sophomore slowly looked back over to meet with her couch buddy's gaze. She felt her breath hitch in her chest as an unspoken question flashed in his eyes. He glanced once more to her soaked shirt._

_His intense gaze made her feel stripped down to her underwear (__flowered __underwear she now regretted terribly). Rachel felt her cheeks heat up. She was somewhat thankful for the darkness of the atmosphere, so he wouldn't be able to see how much she wanted to kill herself in that moment._

_

* * *

_

"_**Hello. I've just got to let you know,"**_

Seeing as her smile began to grow from gaining more confidence in her being there with him, the Carmel High senior gave her a wink as his own cool smile displayed the genuine enjoyment of being there with her.

"_**Coz' I wonder where you are,**_

_**And I wonder what you do,"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Jesse leaned back in his leather study chair. His eyes had strayed once again to the black duffel bag in the corner of his bedroom. The very same he brought with him to the Youth Centre from the other day. The very same he had with him when he saw her. The very same he had with him when she confused him and enticed him all at the same time. When bringing up the subject with Madison, all she had to say was "You're a dumbass. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that you should've tried harder with her. Dipshit."_

_He didn't do it often, but he kind of agreed with his sister._

_

* * *

_

"_**Are you somewhere feeling lonely?**_

_**Or is someone loving you?"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_He turned to see Tara standing there with her hands on her hips, obviously impatient with him. He had almost forgotten the ride he promised he'd give her._

_And no, that was not an innuendo._

_He meant an honest-to-goodness __car __ride (not that she knew __that __yet)._

_Turning back to the brunette, he saw the look on her face drop briefly before she met his eyes once more with what seemed to be a determined strength._

_

* * *

_

"_**Tell me how to win your heart,**_

_**For I haven't got a clue,"**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Rachel laughed and didn't think the day could get any better._

_Then she saw __him__._

_Time stopped. It literally stopped as she found him standing a few feet away from her and her teammates. His hazel eyes were on her alone._

_She didn't know how much time had passed as their gazes met and both remained unmoving._

_

* * *

_

"_**But let me start by saying..."**_

The two of them paused to catch their breaths. Rachel felt a little flushed as the song had rose into a more passionate feel (or maybe it was just them), which demanded more emotion (that wasn't exactly a problem... on either part, as a matter of fact). Breathing a little hard, brown eyes met hazel ones. There was no playful lilt in the way they kept sending each other cute, flirtatious glances. They were full-on into the song and there was no turning back now.

"_**... I love you..."**_

This time, Rachel didn't break their gaze as quickly as before. They took their time in studying each other's faces, memorizing that moment. Smiles and smirks were gone. They actually began to allow the song to sink into their senses. They began to realize... the song was perfect for them and everything they had been experiencing and not experiencing with each other: they now released it into the song at hand.

"_**... Is it me you're looking for?"**_

Rachel raised both her eyebrows, losing herself in the lyrics. It was a legitimate question. A question she herself had been dancing around when she realized he was right there in front of her in the music store mere minutes ago.

"_**Coz' I wonder where you are,"**_

Their voices harmonised perfectly and in that moment: Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James weren't even performing anymore. This was who they were. Stripped down to their bare essentials. They were exposed to one another, vulnerable. And they did it beautifully together.

"_**And I wonder what you do,"**_

Jesse tilted his chin upwards as he held those last few notes, hitting them perfectly. Rachel felt a smile grace her pretty face as she stared at him in awe. This was actually happening.

"_**What do I have to do?"**_

Her eyes screwed shut, belting out those lyrics to layer Jesse's own words. The said partner of Rachel's moistened his lips whilst stealing a look at her. His heart pounded loudly as accompaniment to the keys he played upon the piano with his fingertips. Being there with her... was an out-of-body experience.

"_**Are you somewhere feeling lonely?"**_

Jesse shook his head, his face contorting in sheer passion as Rachel returned his fiery look with one of her own. One may even coin the term "musical sex" to fully explain the way the two just meshed perfectly together.

"_**Or is someone loving you?**_

_**Tell me how to win your heart,**_

_**For I haven't got a clue,**_

_**But let me start by saying,"**_

Eyes never leaving each others', they held their tongues briefly. Almost as if they were reluctant in ending the song so soon. But, they knew they had to. Because frankly... they were excited to actually see how it was going to end.

"_**I love you."**_

They held onto that last note tenderly, putting the song to rest as they would a priceless porcelain vase: afraid to break such perfection.

Jesse averted his eyes to his fingers as they played the ending notes of the song almost wistfully before returning his gaze upon Rachel who never once looked anywhere else.

They remained that way for what seemed to be forever.

Until a smile began to graze upon her face, prompting him to return it with one of his own.

The song may have ended.

But, they both realized (as their smiles spread into light laughter)...

This was the start of something beautiful.

Finally.

_**The Beginning.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Author's Note: That's right. This is only the beginning for our favourite pair. They are far from the end.**

**And if you thought this was the last chapter of 'When Rachel Met Jesse'...**

**YOU THOUGHT WRONG.**

**Come on, guys! Did you really think that I would leave you all without my promised 'And then some'?**

**I haven't even given you a hint of what 'And then some' is all about, don't worry. **

**Just be sure to check in for a new chapter in the very near future for your 'And then some' treat.**

**And don't forget to review because reviews prompt the 'And then some' to arrive faster, to be honest (*winkwink*)... I promise you won't be disappointed.**

**I think I've said the catch phrase of "And then some" quite enough, I'm actually starting to bug myself out.**

**Until next time, lovelies! (Because you have ****not**** seen the last of 'When Rachel Met Jesse'...)**


	10. And Then Some

It is eight years set into the future ever since Rachel and Jesse "officially" met.

The once naive sophomore with big eyes and bigger dreams is now a grown woman, twenty-four years of age.

The devilishly handsome former lead of Carmel High's renowned 'Vocal Adrenaline' is now a twenty-six year old man about town.

They are the hot, young and fresh actors of Broadway and currently rising higher and higher to the top.

They reside in their gorgeous apartment in New York City.

They are a couple.

I know what you're thinking:

"_Where the heck is broadwaybuff going with this?_"

And

"_What happened within those eight years?_"

And

"_How did they get there?_"

And

"_What's going on with them __now__?"_

Well, let me give you the four-one-one, my lovely readers.

I have a task for **YOU**.

Yes, **YOU**.

I'm talking to you, the **READER**, whoever you may be.

This is the lowdown: Rachel and Jesse will be answering some questions submitted by fans from all over (seeing as they're the latest hot, up and coming actors on the scene). What's also HOT, HOT, HOT is the fact that they're a couple. They're like the Beyonce and Jay-Z of the Broadway scene (somewhere, Kurt Hummel is _glowing _at the thought of being quoted after).

They will be answering questions via homevideo (written out as how they would speak to a video cam, in other terms). It's unscripted, it's raw, it's unedited. It's pure _them_.

What I need from **YOU**, are the QUESTIONS!

That's right! The next chapter(s) are based around an interactive concept between you and the power couple.

Rachel and Jesse will address each and every one of your questions, give you a shout out (based on your username/anonymous name), attempt to fulfill your (realistic) requests, etc...

Terms and conditions:

You are allowed to submit as many questions as you like through one review.

You are required to include your favorite scene, quote, moment, or chapter from 'When Rachel Met Jesse'.

You are required to include _why _you have chosen the said scene, quote, moment or chapter.

You are allowed to submit requests that Rachel and Jesse do something for the camera or even give you a shout out.

You are allowed to ask ANY, I repeat, ANY question under the Sun. I'm serious. Be it the randomest question, or even a super naughty, sexy, raunchy, personal question that should go under the M-rated section. They will answer it (Let's just say they were made to sign a contract).

You can direct questions specifically to Rachel, to Jesse, or to both as a couple. You can ask them little things or stories about them as a couple and how they have reached that point (where they're now living together) in their relationship or even about their careers.

The whole point of this interactive concept is so Rachel and Jesse themselves can explain to you what it's like in their relationship, what happened with them within those eight years, memorable moments, what they're up to these days, what they love about each other, what they hate about each other, what sentences you'd like them to complete, what they like to do to each other in bed (YES, you shall watch Rachel go insane trying to dance around that topic as politely as she can while Jesse just gives you the perfect play-by-play... hey, they can edit it out later. Remember: YOU'RE getting the unedited version of the interview), etc...

Just bear in mind that you are their _fans _when addressing them in your "questions through letters". Hence, you have a slight power dynamic in determining their resume because as "a fan", you've "seen their work". But, try to keep in mind that they are still _young _and have yet to own a CRAZY-LONG resume.

Don't worry, I'll give you guys AMPLE time to think up of awesome questions. I'm not going to post this chapter and close the date for incoming questions like tomorrow. I'll definitely allow you more time than that. So, just keep it coming.

Well, there's really nothing left for you to do but attack Rachel and Jesse with your questions, questions, and questions! (Don't forget to fulfill the terms and conditions)

I hope you like this concept, guys! I haven't actually come across an "interactive" fic before (especially within the St. Berry fandom) and I thought I'd start it now.

Get excited to have Jesse say your name (username) and perhaps take his shirt off (if that's what you request) as well as Rachel's classic, neurotic story-telling style when you ask her your questions.

Until next time, lovelies ;)


	11. Take One

**Disclaimer: Whatever you think I may own, I don't. EXCEPT for my wild imagination, which is thoroughly played out within this chapter.**

**Author's Note: I'll be breaking down the 'question and answers' into multi-chapters; each chapter will feature questions and answers as well as requests by one reviewer each. So, everyone gets a turn. This chapter features questions by the first reviewer of Chapter 10, which is FromTheBrain. She had amazing, entertaining questions and I hope I paid them justice through Rachel and Jesse's responses. Though, I had to rephrase the 'drunk!Jesse'-related question because I feel that that incident between Rachel and Jesse was something that no one else knew but them. So, it would've been odd that a random fan knew about it.**

**Well, there's nothing left for you to do but read, enjoy and review =)**

**

* * *

**

TAKE ONE

* * *

"Hello, I'm Rachel Berry and that..." the young starlet sat in a red armchair as she gestured over to the strapping, young man sitting in the other armchair beside her (separated only by an end table between them), "... is Jesse St. James." The said twenty-six year old nodded to the camera with a smooth smile.

"We're here to answer your questions... Bear in mind, that this is the first time we're actually _seeing_ these questions. Thus, it's basically all very, very unscripted," Rachel explained, clad in her flowy chiffon pink top, dark jeans and high-heeled boots as she left her hair straightened down her shoulders.

"So, let's see how it goes," Jesse concurred readily; he himself was dressed in a plain white V-neck tee-shirt layered with a dark blue plaid shirt (rolled up at the sleeves) along with a pair of faded jeans.

"Alright, here we go... the first few questions are from 'FromTheBrain' a.k.a. Tanja..." Rachel looked up to grin into the camera as Jesse raised a hand in acknowledgement. "Tanjaaaa..." he dragged out the last syllable of her name, keeping a straight face on before breaking out into an easy smile. She began to read the question.

* * *

"_After all that had happened between you two since high school, how did you manage to find each other again and fall in love?"_

_

* * *

_

"Did we really 'find each other again', per se?" Jesse maintained the genuine smile on his face as his brow furrowed curiously to the girl next to him.

Letting out a short laugh, Rachel shook her head slowly. "No, definitely not. I mean, I knew he was in New York and I was in New York... but, at the time, I didn't really have any intention of, you know... rekindling our romance," she explained to the camera before her voice trailed off into a giggle as she caught the look on Jesse's face, who pressed his lips together in mock sheepishness.

It was short-lived as he too let out a deep chuckle whilst rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I think we kind of convinced ourselves that we were high school news. But, we kept running into each other again and again..." he began before Rachel interrupted him with a knowing smile on her pretty face.

"You were stalking me," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone, prompting him to break into another chuckle.

"Wait a second, no... This is a horrible rumour we're starting here..." Jesse managed to utter in between his laughter, reaching over to cover his girlfriend's mouth with his hand.

"YES, you did. He added me on _Twitter _the red hot second we parted after running into each other for the first time in the, uh... the subway, yes," leaning backwards, the brunette grinned as she got her word in edgewise to the camera whilst dodging his hand.

"As common courtesy," Jesse retorted with a cool smile, letting his hand drop to her lap.

Subconsciously taking his relatively large hand in both her tiny ones, Rachel let her eyes shut in pensive recollection before they opened once more. "But, it would explain the coincidental meetings we had together (I'm guilty of being an avid _'Tweeter_') after that... including the '_Spring Awakening_' audition," her voice grew airy at the last sentence, casting a dreamily triumphant look in his direction.

He paused thoughtfully before his eyebrows rose in realization. "You know, that's funny... because I wasn't supposed to be at that audition in the first place. I had been rehearsing and researching for 'Melchior' very diligently for a pretty long while. Then, my agent calls me and says the audition's been postponed for another day," he paused dramatically, glancing to Rachel who stared at him while listening intently with a smile on her face (apparent that this was the first time he had really explained the story lengthily).

"Turns out it wasn't. I find out at the last minute. I literally end up running across New York City (okay, at some points within the journey I did) and into the audition room; my mind's going crazy, I'm sweating bullets, I'm thinking I blew my shot... then I find Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater sitting there; they go 'Jesse, you're right on time. Come on in'," he gestured with his free hand as the brunette by his side's smile grew a little as she knew what part was coming next.

"The audition was the love scene in the hayloft, which then transitions into 'The Guilty Ones'... and I find Rachel Berry in her 'Wendla-esque' dress there on stage. And the rest is pretty much history," Jesse finally turned his attention from the camera to his said Wendla, smiling softly as he stared down to her.

He was of course referring to the fact that they two had exploded onto the scene four years ago (both in Broadway terms as well as pop culture) through 'Spring Awakening'. They kept everyone guessing about their relationship on whether or not they actually had one. It became a hot topic and when word got out that the two started dating (after a long, long wait), the musical drew in more and more of the younger generation. Thus, the term 'St. Berry' was born.

"It was the _hardest _audition I've ever been to," Rachel arched an eyebrow to the camera, earning a loud, hearty laugh from Jesse as he threw his head back against the couch cushion. She was honestly at her naughtiest when she was with him.

Allowing his laughter to die down, he cleared his throat in mock seriousness. "Alright, alright, alright... Roll in the next question!"

* * *

"_Jesse, many people tend to make poor life decisions when drunk. Have you had any similar experiences in your personal life?"_

_

* * *

_

"Unfortunately I can answer that for you because I knew you back in the day," Rachel continued, smiling cheekily across to Jesse's sheepish expression as she pointed a casual finger to him.

"You've seen me wet," he sighed.

"I've seen it. I had the full-body experience, so to speak. Though, not like _that,_" she quickly added the last part, realizing how misconstrued it came out.

Grinning, Jesse arched an eyebrow teasingly to her. "Then, how _is _it like, Rachel?"

Laughing brightly, she nudged his shin with her toe. "Just answer the question, St. James!"

Rubbing his hands together, Jesse sat up a little straighter in his chair. "Well... I've made a great deal of poor decisions while over-served. That is why I don't drink as much anymore," not really wanting to get into his problem with over-drinking from back in his teenage years, the St. James offspring reached over for the cup of water resting on the end table beside him. Realizing it was empty; he showed it to the camera. "See? I don't even drink water," smirking, he gave a shrug. "I'm extremely dehydrated. But, you gotta do what you gotta do, y'know," he added as Rachel's laughter was heard in the background.

* * *

"_When was the first time you slept together? How was it?_ _Rachel, what did you think of Jesse's body the first time you saw him naked?_"

* * *

Jesse was interrupted by the brunette's loud yelp of surprise before they broke out into another fit of laughter. Rachel covered her face with a throw pillow as her shoulders shook from her uncontrollable giggles.

"Wow. Let's get right to it, Tanja," he reread the question on the letter, the grin still on his face as he shook his head slowly. Removing the throw pillow from her face, Rachel's face was bright red as the remnants of her previous giggles rode out its last wave.

"Baby, you're the master of description between us," he rested his chin against his palm whilst propping his elbow up on his knee, signalling that she be the one to take the question.

"Oh, my God... he's enjoying this, I know it," she spoke to the camera, pushing her hair back out of her face as she leaned into her seat comfortably. Chuckling, he too looked to the camera and nodded in total agreement. There was a slight pause as Rachel contemplated her words carefully.

"It just happened one night... and it was beautiful."

"Come on, Berry. You can do better than that," Jesse murmured challengingly, keeping his eyes on her (his face was the perfect picture of 'calm').

"Um..." she bit the tip of her finger thoughtfully, maintaining her gaze with Jesse. "It was New Years' Eve. We had just had a fight that morning didn't we?" Rachel glanced to her boyfriend who simply nodded in reply.

"It was a _horrible _fight, but I can't really remember what it was about right now. Anyway, I remember feeling so bad that entire day. I mean, I cancelled all my plans because I just knew I would've been terrible company. So, I stayed in," she played with the denim material of her jeans as she spoke. Jesse stared at her hands as they moved together with her words.

"I felt really poorly that night. I was watching Regis on TV during the countdown. Mind you, I still got dressed up for the occasion because... if I were in just a hoodie and sweatpants, I may have thrown myself out the window due to sheer depression," she allowed a tiny laugh to sneak in whilst tucking a dark lock of hair behind her ear.

"_And _so... there I was, alone in my apartment with a flute of champagne, all dressed up for nothing and as I'm watching the celebration for the appearance of a new year... my doorbell rings. And it's Jesse St. James," the brunette looked over to Jesse while he maintained his gaze upon her hands as they were placed in her lap, a discreet smile growing on his handsome face.

"I remember what you said... you said, 'I've been waiting eight years to give you a midnight kiss. I don't plan on waiting a second longer'... and he did. Then, that's when it happened," Rachel concluded, smiling serenely to the camera.

"And it was... how was it?" she asked him softly.

Taking her hand, his smile was small; almost like a secret he kept only for her. "You were beautiful. I remember thinking, at the time, how I had never, ever seen you or anyone for that matter, look as beautiful as you did that night," he uttered intimately, his voice a low timbre.

Returning the smile, she leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "But, you definitely had a lot to live up to. Because we both waited for four years. So, yeah... a lot of hype and tension had built up by then," she added when she pulled back. Jesse smiled, bemused with her additional statement. "But... he pulled through. _Definitely _pulled through," Rachel continued breathily as she looked over to the camera, her face growing warmer at the memory.

"And the next question..." her voice trailed off into a nervous, little chuckle as Jesse sat upright in his chair almost immediately. He crossed his arms over his solid chest, watching her with mock intent. Watching his antics, Rachel's awkwardness escalated whilst blushing profusely in the midst of her nervous laughter.

"It's a good question," he offered, a lopsided smile on his face.

"Isn't it, though? Gosh," drumming her fingertips against the armrest, she wondered how to answer the question as delicately as possible. Realizing she might as well be honest, Rachel simply shrugged.

"I remember thinking his hard on looked as though it was going to take over the world."

Jesse laughed loudly at hearing that, clapping his hands slowly and surely at the brilliantly explicit choice of words by his ever-unpredictable girlfriend.

"So... well done," Rachel stifled her giggles expertly, feigning formality while nodding to him as a judge to a contestant would.

"Thank you," the remnants of his chuckles rode its last wave as he managed to play along with her tone of voice.

* * *

"_Do both of you still keep in touch with your old show choir and show choir coaches?"_

_

* * *

_

"Definitely. One of them being someone I just _can't_ seem to escape, as much as I try to do so. One Nick Mitchell; very good friend of mine... Until he started dating my lovely, kind sister some three years ago. So, I had to kill him," Jesse sighed in all seriousness to the camera.

"Yes and he comes by as a ghost for dinner every couple of weeks," Rachel joined in with the joke seamlessly.

"It's horrible," he added, his lips pressed together in a tight line.

Laughing lightly, Rachel continued "I _do _keep in touch with my old glee club mates and my old coach. I still even have my 'New Directions' T-shirt. We've been through so much as a team; we're somehow interconnected through bonds that are hard to break. In fact, Kurt Hummel, I think most of you all know already, used to be a teammate of mine in 'New Directions' and we meet up all the time here in the city. He designs _so _much of what I wear to premieres and things. It's great," she grinned, referring to the fashion designer/entrepreneur of the moment that is Mr. Hummel.

"Yeah... and my old show choir coach, Shelby Corcoran has always been a huge influence to me professionally. So, I owe all my success and my outlook on the business to her, really. And although Rachel didn't grow up with her, she _is _her biological mother. Thus, in some way or another... Shelby's been a part of our lives as long as I can remember and continues to do so," Jesse turned to look at the brunette beside him as she smiled and nodded in agreement.

* * *

"_Where is the most public place you have had sex? How was that experience?"_

_

* * *

_

"I thought we were safe already, what with the 'show choir mates' question and all," Rachel laughed incredulously.

Jesse pondered at the question in amusement. "Full insertion or foreplay? Coz' I've got stories for both."

As her laugh bloomed heartily, the brunette placed her palms on both her cheeks. "Our parents are absolutely _glowing_ with pride right now. The next family reunion's going to be fantastic, for sure."

He snickered, running a hand through his wavy hair before scratching the side of his face in thought. "'Jesse and Rachel's _sexcapades'_ happens to be great for dinner conversation."

Swatting his arm lightly, she suggested, "We answered 'full insertion' just now. So, go with 'foreplay'."

Looking up to the camera, he smirked. "See how naughty you've made my once-sweet Rachel, Tanja. I should fly you over here for some more tips on that," he raised an eyebrow confidentially before looking to the letter and back up again, trying to recollect a story that stood out the most. Finally coming up with one, he stifled his laugh with a snort.

"Oh, this one's _bad_," the young 'stud muffin' (as 'Teen Vogue' had referred to him as) glanced to his now-housemate, a dangerous lilt in his voice.

"Which one is it?" she asked quietly, a small smile playing on her soft lips.

"The airplane one," he answered, his voice lowering suggestively.

Rachel's eyebrows shot up in alarm. "Nononononononono..." she shook her head profusely, but Jesse wouldn't have any of it. It was too late anyway, now that the golden word of 'airplane' was out.

"It was on an airplane. The name of the airline will remain unknown... for legal purposes..." his voice trailed off into a light snicker before continuing again.

"But, it didn't happen in the lavatory. First of all, even that's a little too cliché for our taste. And secondly, they were all occupied at the time," he recollected slowly, his smile growing more and more scandalous as the memory became clearer in his head.

"We were really... I don't know how to put it. What was wrong with us again? We were..." he was interrupted (rather helpfully) by his partner in crime.

"We were horny," Rachel confirmed, looking to the camera in a matter-of-fact way.

"We were horny," Jesse shrugged in agreement before sharing a meaningfully amused glance with the brunette.

"I don't know what it was... but, I _needed _to have her. In some way. But, there was nowhere we could go and there was about ten hours left of the flight. So, I get the complimentary blanket from the overhead compartment, I cover both of us up with it and..." at this point in his explanation, Rachel was biting her bottom lip furiously in a mixture of embarrassment and pure, unadulterated _heat._

"... No one notices where my hand goes for the next half an hour or so," Jesse smirked knowingly, his attention now on his girlfriend's face.

"We almost got caught _several _times," she returned his smirk with her own, her voice lowering slightly.

His smirk grew into a sexy smile.

"That's because you're vocal when you have an orgasm. And you were vocal _several _times," he replied quietly.

"I remember," she answered softly, sucking in her bottom lip.

"Good," Jesse murmured, placing a long, languid kiss on those luscious petals of hers (both momentarily forgetting about the camera. The guys in the editing room were going to have a ball with _this _footage).

* * *

"_Are there any plans for a St. Berry baby?"_

_

* * *

_

"What are you doing, Tanja?" Rachel pleaded, though she laughed boisterously at the personal questions coming left and right.

"There's like a Frost/Nixon vibe going on here. Very intense," Jesse joked, shifting in his seat as he raked his fingers through his brown hair once more.

They both paused for a brief moment before Rachel cleared her throat.

"You know... at _this moment in time... _it's a little early for that, I have to say. What do you think, honey?" she spoke carefully before turning to look at the man beside her.

"Yeah... I don't think the world is ready for a St. Berry baby _yet_," he agreed, interlacing his fingers with Rachel's.

"The title itself sounds awesome, though. 'St. Berry Baby'," she smiled casually over to him.

"Kind of like a superhero, right? Or a comic book character," Jesse joined in, steering the issue in a more light-hearted direction.

Rachel broke out into a musical giggle as she shrugged in nonchalance, "Yeah."

* * *

"_Rachel and Jesse, who are your favourite members of 'The Beatles' and why?"_

_

* * *

_

"Ringo Starr," the brunette answered automatically.

"How come?" Jesse asked, leaning into his seat to face Rachel even better.

"The drummer's the backbone of any band. He keeps the beat and the others follow his timing to the songs. The fact that a drummer is so relevant and can still be stuck at the back of the band onstage... it shows great talent and star power. Very admirable," she explained easily. Perhaps that was why she had been attracted to Finn (he was a drummer, after all) after breaking up with Jesse back in high school.

"Plus... how often is Ringo Starr the answer to that question? The man deserves some props," she added as an afterthought, watching the distinct expression Jesse always gave when she went on a lengthy rant. It was hard to explain... sort of like a cross between an amused smile and a curious squint of his hazel eyes.

"Oh man... My answer's pretty generic. It's gotta be John Lennon, in all honesty. The man is a definite icon. And in some ways I can relate to him. Growing up, I never had an established relationship with my parents. They were, for the most part, absent in my life and I can relate to John as he himself went through a somewhat similar predicament," he answered, taking on a serious undertone in his voice.

"And the songs he wrote are still so incredibly relevant and they remain timeless to this day. One of my favourites is um..." he smiled, furrowing his brow as he tried to recall the lyrics to 'Mother'.

_**"Children, don't do what I have done,**_

_**I couldn't walk and I tried to run,**_

_**So, I got to tell you,**_

_**Goodbye, goodbye..."**_

As he sang that short verse softly, he did so while looking to his girlfriend as she stared back at him, affection and adoration within those expressive brown eyes of hers.

"I love you," he mumbled after a short silence passed between them.

"I love you too, baby."

* * *

"So, we've come to the last of Tanja's questions," Jesse spoke to the camera, leaning forwards to rest his elbows on his knees.

"They were great questions. _Uncomfortable_... but, still great," Rachel crossed one leg over the other as she smiled warmly to the said camera.

"Thank you for sending them in. It's been a pleasure hearing from you, Tanja," Jesse gave a light smirk, adding his trademark wink for good measure. Hey, anyone who could keep reminding Rachel of their wild sex life was at the top of the list in _his _book.

"Hopefully, our answers were okay and we sincerely hope that you continue to take interest in us and our respective careers because really... we have our fans to thank for practically every good fortune that comes into our lives. So, thank you again, Tanja" Rachel smiled brightly, giving emphasis on that last sentence of hers before blowing a sweet, little kiss to the camera.

* * *

CUT

* * *

**Author's Note: Any answers given by Rachel and Jesse up there worthy of a separate companion piece (for further elaboration)? Mention it in your review! Until next time, guys! I'll see you in Mitchie007's (Michelle) chapter, which is the next one I'll be publishing soon. (I'll still allow questions to come in... terms and conditions STILL apply, don't forget).**


	12. Take Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Just my overactive imagination.**

**Author's note: Thank you so much to Mitchie007 for submitting awesome questions! I had tons of fun writing this chapter.**

**As you all may know, there is a sex question in here... So, be forewarned of language, innuendos and foreshadowing of wild lovemaking. (By the way, Janet Jackson's 'That's The Way Love Goes' is super HOTT. N' Sync's rendition is just as yummy; you should SERIOUSLY check out the music videos and picture the sexiness that is Jon/Jesse while listening. Just sayin').**

**And as for the answers I've given (with the light back stories as well), I just wish I could see such publicity for them in real life. It would be enjoyable.**

**Well, I guess there's nothing left for you to do but READ, ENJOY and REVIEW.**

**Have fun, beautiful people!**

**

* * *

**

**TAKE TWO**

**

* * *

**

Rachel took a swig of water from her Evian bottle. She watched Jesse fiddle with the camera from where she sat. Even after all these years, she still smiled inwardly whenever his 'cute tushie' (as her sweet grandmamma called her boyfriend's derriere) came into clearer view as he moved around in those jeans of his. It was hard to grow tired of him.

"Baby, would you like to know what I think?" she voiced, wrinkling her nose slightly as she turned her attention to the camera.

"Always," Jesse smiled in amusement as the word rolled off his tongue sarcastically. He knew better than to turn down an opinion from Rachel Berry.

She made a face to him before indicating to the red light that blinked on the side of the camera. "I think we've been recording for the last five minutes."

He lifted an eyebrow and reached around to check before affirming that she was right. "I'm guessing five minutes worth of cuss words to the camera isn't what the fans want to hear," he uttered jokingly, making his way back to the armchair beside her.

"Probably not," the brunette ingénue smirked as she unfolded the next letter on the coffee table. She turned to look to the camera, maintaining the genuine smile on her face. "Hi, everyone! It's us again. We hope you're still watching as we continue to answer the questions you've submitted. We're going to move on to a letter sent by Mitchie007, also known as Michelle," Rachel prattled off easily, the bubbly lilt in her voice never wavering.

She was always excited when it came to addressing her fans. It was something she had been preparing to do all her life. She was _made _to have a following. Hell, sometimes a thought crosses her mind, saying: she wouldn't even mind having a cult dedicated solely to her. It was a good thing Jesse was around to keep her... sane.

"We'll start with the first question from the lovely Michelle," Jesse drawled easily, his gaze on the camera cool and collected before he turned to look to the letter in Rachel's dainty hands.

* * *

"_Rachel, what do you love about Jesse?"_

_

* * *

_

"Gosh, what do I love about Jesse?" the young starlet repeated the said question in deep contemplation before inclining her head to meet with his hazel eyes. Pressing his lips together, he simply gave a light smile as she paused to look at him properly. She then looked to the camera, knowing her answer almost right away.

"His soul. It comes out right through his eyes, his smile... and everything he does. He's amazing. Inside _and _out. Not that he'd ever admit it," Rachel spoke eloquently, saying the last sentence with a teasing smile as she stole a glance to her boyfriend whom had watched her speak. Jesse shook his head with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"I never think of myself as the guy with the halo around his head," he stated casually, returning the brunette's smile with his own. He was of course, referencing the performance 'Rachel Berry: Broadway Sweetheart' had given during his twenty-fourth birthday celebration. She had gone up on stage and performed a Beyonce favourite: 'Halo', dedicating it to the birthday boy. Due to said performance, Jesse got up there at the end of it to kiss away his girlfriend's tears (all the while, masterfully holding back his own with a deep, reassuring laugh to make the tiny brunette feel better).

"I'm far from perfect. But, I _will _agree with your notion that I'm pretty good-looking," Jesse added jokingly, steering the conversation in a light-hearted direction. He was always good at doing just that.

Rachel allowed a soft giggle to escape her rosy lips. "He's a good guy. He just makes sure that no one knows it," she stated with cool finality, enforcing her assurance with a wink to the camera.

Jesse simply gave a smirk, revealing nothing further to add.

The St. James offspring had earned his reputation as 'The Bad Boy of Broadway' via Times magazine with good reason. Sure, he worked hard and had achieved a hefty lot at such a young age. He had been in a few plays, starred in a few small movies, became one of the youngest to receive a Tony nomination for his role as 'Melchior' in Spring Awakening... and he was just getting started. Hell, he had even been named one of the 'Top 50 Hottest Young Bachelors' on E!

He also made sure to _play_ hard as well. So, granted: there were a few fires to put out here and there. Thus, such a nickname was given to him. He didn't mind the image, but he definitely didn't let it define who he really was.

And 'who he _really _was' was the guy who spent all his nights and days off with Rachel when Leroy Berry was in the hospital (due to a heart attack).

He was the guy who made sure all his off days were spent making sure she was taken care of (seeing as she spent all _her _time taking care of her dad and no one else).

He was the guy who made sure that Leroy Berry got his whole-wheat toast and absolutely no steaks whenever Rachel wasn't able to get a day off from work (he'd make sure he could so they would alternate).

He was the guy whose shoulder Rachel would cry upon hours on end in the privacy of a secluded room (because heaven forbid; she would NEVER let anyone else see her break down except for Jesse).

He was _that _guy with Rachel. And he didn't mind having no one else know about it.

* * *

"_Jesse, what is one of the things that Rachel does to turn you on?"_

_

* * *

_

"Breathing," the young actor answered in mock seriousness as he folded his arms across his solid chest.

Rachel groaned from beside him. "Come on, Jesse! Don't fool around," her voice escalated a pitch. She took her fans very _seriously_. And she was always eager to please them, making sure they were satisfied with whatever she (or in this case: her partner in crime) had to give.

Snickering, Jesse couldn't help but do so at the fact that Rachel missed the whole point of the question. The point being: _her _as the focal attention. And not in the way she was used to. Sexy secrets or scandals and she didn't usually come together. This was probably why the fans went insane once the first shred of gossip that surrounded him and her blew into the wind.

Video tributes started popping around on YouTube to songs such as 'Good Girls Go Bad', 'Rude Boy', 'Hot Mess'... every generic 'bad boy and good girl' song you could name from the top of your head. Most of them loved the idea of them together; some hated it. But everyone agreed on one thing: 'St. Berry' was one of the catchiest titles since 'Brangelina', 'TomKat', or even 'Spidey' (shudder).

"Let's see... This is hard because I need to choose from practically a whole list."

"Liar," she gave him a glare, thinking he was just teasing her now.

"I swear... Just give me a second," Jesse's smirk spread into a relaxed grin as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"It better not be some repulsively lurid light you're painting me in, mister."

Sending her a mischievous grin, he leaned forward in his seat casually. Elbows resting on his knees, he began to speak to the camera.

"Rachel here has Astigmatism, so she needs to wear her glasses whenever she's reading or using her laptop. Anyway, we get bills every month and are required to pay rent like every other respectable human being in New York City. So, every month we'll sit at our dining table with all the bills and papers and things. She would have her glasses on and I don't know what happens... I just _lose my mind_..." pausing to steal a glance to his girlfriend's pretty face, he took note of the faint blush that painted her cheeks as she bit down on her bottom lip lightly whilst watching him.

"Rachel's a meticulous girl. So, she'd be sitting there, totally absorbed by the documents and _God_... the moment she starts punching in figures on the calculator with her pencil, that's it. Everything ends up on the floor," Jesse made a light sweeping motion with his hand, as if it weren't that big of a deal.

"The first time he swept everything off the table, I was _really _peeved because I had arranged everything perfectly. Everything was in the appropriate pile. Paid. Unpaid. Categorized. Uncategorized. Error. No errors," she listed, gesturing to the left and right as she mentioned each category (which was really her niche, to be honest).

"But, after the third time... I realized it was going to be a monthly tradition of ours, so I _embraced _it with my heart wide open," her voice trailed off into a light laugh because by 'heart', she obviously meant 'legs'.

"Y'know... our guests aren't going to want to sit at that table anymore after this," Jesse uttered in amusement as he leaned back in his seat. Rachel could swear he was taking full pleasure out of horrifying the stuck-up guests they occasionally received in their home once they watched the unscripted interview that was to air on YouTube (the edited version, of course).

Excitement dawned upon her delicate features as the petite girl turned to the camera, clapping her hands happily. "IKEA!" was all she had to say in that sing-song way of hers and you just _knew_. Rachel Berry loved shopping for furniture and ornaments to decorate their apartment with.

Jesse was, however, less enthusiastic whenever she managed to drag him along to pick out materials for their couch and bedspread or even the cute, plastic cutleries she'd get in bulk (to mail some to her fathers). No doubt another trip to the said furniture store was now in the agenda. Mission: to get a new dining table. Jesse knew he was going to regret bringing up the idea once Rachel corners him to choose between teak and pinewood (because really? He has no fucking clue what the difference is).

* * *

"_Do you plan on getting married? And if you are, do you plan on having kids?"_

_

* * *

_

The two remained quiet as they exchanged secret smiles. After seconds and seconds worth of sending silent indications that the other be the one to take the question, Rachel finally cracked up at the exaggerated-panicky look on her boyfriend's face.

"Jesse St. James, are you really going to just love me and leave me alone with this question here?" she demanded once her giggles were under control, tossing her glossy hair over one shoulder.

Even the holder of such a strong, charismatic name knew he needed _boulders _between his legs in order to answer such a question with utmost confidence that he and his lady love were on the same page.

"No, you know what... I have never met anyone like Rachel Berry. She's beautiful, sexy, intelligent, special... insane even. And I love her deeply," he began, looking into the camera. Jesse was discreetly (even uncharacteristically) a little shy about professing all this to basically the entire world in the comfort of their own home.

Rachel quirked a crooked smile, jutting her lower lip out slightly in a pout (touched by his words). "I've always loved him..." she stated simply. At that, Jesse reached for her hand and tugged it lightly. Receiving his signal with a small laugh, she stood up and allowed him to pull her petite body onto his lap.

"It really evolves and grows more and more every day because we've undergone so much together..." she continued as she settled comfortably against him, looking as though she was a little girl asking for something from Santa. He felt a smile grow upon his handsome face, watching her facial expressions as she explained everything almost scientifically. Explain their _chemistry_.

God bless science.

"... and it's great to have my bud there with me through it all," Rachel shrugged her slight shoulders, looking to him as one of his hands rested across her lap and the other upon the small of her back.

"I genuinely think this woman is a certified angel. I mean, I have fucked up quite a bit in the last twenty-six years..." Jesse's voice trailed off a little as the brunette in his lap reached up to tug the collar of his tee-shirt disapprovingly.

"No you haven't," her voice displayed a smorgasbord of total disagreement as she shook her head.

"Yes, I have. At least I did before I met you again. And that's just it. You've brought nothing but life to me. And I can't imagine spending it with anyone else," his fingers traced concentric circles on the small of her back as he spoke to her and only her, voice only just above a murmur.

Rachel grinned in response before placing a soft, intimate kiss upon his lips. Revelling in the familiarity of it, they broke apart before it could get too heated (the red light was still blinking on the side of the camera, after all).

"You know, if that had been a proposal; it would've been a romantic, highly poignant speech you gave there," she sighed teasingly, straightening the front of his white tee-shirt.

Jesse furrowed his brow deploringly. "I should've saved it for the actual thing," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, arching an eyebrow up to the gorgeous girl above him.

Rachel laughed musically. "I think you'll manage to top yourself when the time comes... _Hey_, did you notice the mention of 'kids'?" she brought up the rest of the question, her eyes bright with amusement and (was that excitement?)

The charismatic young gentleman underneath Rachel Berry did nothing but smirk in reply before offering his two cents. "Yes. And I think, in all seriousness, we should turn this into a drinking game. You know how much I love seeing you hammered," he answered suggestively, pulling her more securely upon his lap.

The brunette couldn't help but allow another boisterous giggle to pass through her lips. "Throw back a shot at every mention of the 'St. Berry Baby'?" she offered, guessing the rule to his suggested drinking game. Jesse's smirk transformed into a genuinely humorous smile.

"I think it would fare well at the bars. They'd make a fortune on E! alone."

* * *

"_What do you like to do to each other in bed?"_

_

* * *

_

Laughing heartily in unison, they were fully realizing the impact of the 'open to any and all questions' condition they had agreed to. Granted, editing was still going to be done later on and they did have _some_ say in what was to be cut. But, it was still slightly creepy to talk to a camera about their sex life. Creepy... and _kind of_ exhilarating. In a somewhat sexy way (just being able to talk about it without feeling like a prude).

"Kids, cover your ears," Rachel lifted her head from its position against her man's shoulder.

"You too, Mr. and Mr. Berry," Jesse added, prompting another round of laughter on the twenty-four year old girl's part.

"Gee, I don't know how to answer that without sounding like a perverse braggart," she fretted after a moment's silence of deep thought. Tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear, she looked over to Jesse as he drummed his slender fingers lightly upon her lap.

"Then just answer like one. Look at _me_," he joked that he himself was a perverse braggart. _He_ was fine. Vintage Jesse.

Rachel paused, looking down to her lap as a sheepish smile grew upon her face. She already felt a light blush begin to decorate her defined cheekbones from just thinking about it. Looking up, she avoided his eyes as they searched her face in cool contemplation.

"I like... I like being on top, actually... because it's such a challenge to gain the upper hand with him. He makes 'feeling dominated' feel really good almost immediately... So, it takes a _lot _of will power and stamina to get him to stay put underneath. And just being able to hold the reigns every once in a while feels great. Not to mention: I get to see the every look, every expression on his face so much clearer..." her tentative, lilting voice trailed off as she cleared her throat. Stealing a glance to Jesse's face, she caught sight that he was staring at her with slightly parted lips.

"Is it warm in here?" tossing her hair out of her face, her voice escalated a pitch yet again as she turned her attention to the intimidating camera.

"Rachel, don't stop."

Blushing furiously at the smoky tone behind Jesse's voice, the brunette shook her head whilst turning to look at his illegally enigmatic smile. "No, no, no... It's your turn!"

"The 'Alphabet Game'," he answered without a shred of hesitation.

That shut her up.

Pressing her lips together, Rachel pretended to be interested in lint on her boyfriend's shirt just to hide her heated face from the eye of the camera.

"And for those who don't know what the 'Alphabet Game' is... it is the act of 'going down on a woman'..." Jesse explained as a teacher would to a lesser student, speaking to the camera only to be interjected with a laugh from Rachel (due to his bluntness on the topic).

Unfazed, he continued as a charming smile graced his personable features. "... And we learn our ABC's all over again. All I do is trace the shape of the alphabet with my tongue..." he paused to look at the girl on his lap.

"But, I can'tget enough of the noise you make at 'M'. You hit notes I've never even heard of each time. It's impressive," Jesse murmured, meeting her gaze as a look of admiration flashed within his intense orbs.

"Thank you. But, our game always goes '... J, K, L, M, M, M, M ,M...'. We never make it to 'Z'," her voice grew pensive whilst staring down upon him.

"We were never really bright at alphabets even when back in kindergarten," he shrugged to the camera in nonchalance, joking of course.

"Oh, I love when we put on music," Rachel suddenly sprang out with, drawing his attention back in.

"You like that?"

"Yeah."

"Is Janet Jackson your favourite soundtrack to our lovemaking?"

"Miss Jackson. That's right."

"I see. I kind of figured when you put 'That's The Way Love Goes' on repeat for three hours straight the other night."

"Did you like it?"

"Baby, we were naked the entire day after that."

"Is that a 'yes'?"

"That's a 'fuck yes'."

* * *

"_Jesse, take your shirt off."_

_

* * *

_

Rachel grinned at the curtness of the order and rose from Jesse's lap to shift and sit in her own seat. Chuckling lightly, he was about to stand up and fulfil said order but decided not to at the last second. He remained in his seat, hand retracted from the collar of his shirt.

"I'm shy," he stated, feigning sheepishness. Though, it was clear cut that he was just being a straight up tease. Because it really wasn't the first time he was asked to take off his shirt. Just the other day, he (along with the rest of the original Spring Awakening cast) was on the Ellen DeGeneres show for a 'reunion' special (considering they had all fulfilled their contract and were replaced by a new batch of starlets almost two years now). And Ellen had made a joke about getting Jesse to go shirtless to which the primarily female audience responded enthusiastically. He laughed and played up the hype within the audience, but didn't actually do it in the end (it would've been in bad taste).

"B.S.," Rachel exclaimed pointedly, reminiscing that last incident on Ellen when her boyfriend was asked to go shirtless. She remembered herself being requested to teach Ellen how to tap dance, which she did. It was sprung upon her at the last second as they brought out the tap shoes there and then, with no forewarning whatsoever. But, she was a good sport and just went "Let's do it. It's go time." To which Rachel is sure, Ellen has put the said brunette on her 'favourites' list.

"There's nothing to see, Michelle. Really," Jesse attempted to smile bashfully, pulling the open plaid shirt around him closer as if he felt exposed even when fully-clothed. As if he hadn't already been caught in several paparazzi photos while shirtless and in all his sweaty, six-packed glory (the shirtless pictures would usually feature him on his daily run in the summer).

Rachel giggled at the front he was putting up. "That's such a lie. He _enjoys _making women cross their legs really hard," she shook her head reassuringly to the camera, totally dismissing the look of mock hurt he sent over to her direction. If anyone knew, it was definitely Rachel Berry. It had taken him almost a year to woo her back and he had definitely tried out any and every trick in the book. He never really had a problem with intriguing her _sexually. _It had been 'trust issues' with them in the beginning. They had worked it out... and now they would trust each other with their lives (or eggs).

"No, that isn't true. That isn't true at all," Jesse didn't bother hiding the deep chuckle in his voice.

"Just pretend this is a GQ photo shoot," the brunette smirked, referring to the recent magazine he had been the cover male of. She remembered it in particular because they had found Teen Vogue (which she was the cover girl of) and GQ right next to each other on the newsstands. She had looked _amazing _and totally donned the look of a young, up and coming ingénue in her Oscar de la Renta gown (one of many others) for the shoot.

Jesse, on the other hand, was now every woman's fantasy whenever she'd go to get her tyres fixed. The photo shoot was done in a workshop and he basically played the part of a sexy mechanic to a tee. The centrefold was filled with shirtless/almost shirtless pictures of him covered in sweat and grease. The article was entitled 'New Kid on the Block'... but, everyone who knew him _knew _for a fact that he was anything but 'new' to theatre.

"Okay, okay... For you, Michelle. I will overcome my insecurities just this once _for you_," he smiled slightly, a carnal look in his hazel eyes as he spoke to the camera. It was the usual photo-ready expression one would see on him in the 'Who's Wearing What' section of the tabloids. To be honest, he sometimes didn't even notice that he was giving a certain 'eye-sexing' face. In all seriousness, he would think that that was just how he _looked _(he remembered reminding a certain best friend of his about that fact when he first met the girl of his dreams). And right now; he was giving that face to the camera.

Getting to his feet, he shrugged off the open-buttoned checkered shirt he had on and pulled off the white V-neck tee shirt over his head. Revealing his solid chest, broad shoulders, washboard abs, biceps and all... Jesse was lean and muscular without being too bulky. Yet, it was _enough _to make teenage girls (and probably their moms) all over to cut up his bare chested pictures and stick them into their purses. His skin was lightly tanned from spending his off days being active and outdoors under the Sun (something he eventually got Rachel into as well... whenever they weren't doing things she liked) and slightly freckled. In short... _yum_.

"You're training for a Triathlon next month, right?" Rachel blatantly checked him out before her brown eyes rose to meet his gaze from where she was sitting.

"Yeah," he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously.

The petite brunette smiled like the Cheshire cat as she looked to the camera while gesturing to his body like a promoter would. "Hence," was all she said as she indicated to the top condition he was in, physically.

Jesse's deep chuckle bloomed into a full-out laugh as he reached down to pick his shirt up from the floor.

* * *

"_If you were about to have a daughter, what would you name her? (Michelle, maybe? Haha)"_

_

* * *

_

The handsome couple exchanged meaningful looks before cracking up. Jesse, who had put his white tee shirt back on, jabbed a thumb in the direction of the kitchen knowingly. "Should I break out the _Smirnoff_?" he joked, obviously referring to their previous jest on 'throwing back a shot every time someone mentions children to them'.

Rachel smiled gently to the camera. "Should we ever be lucky enough to bring a beautiful baby girl into this world... the name Michelle doesn't sound like such a bad idea," she answered diplomatically, now genuinely considering the name (for the future, of course). Though, she had always thought of equipping their potential children with elaborate names like Sequoia or Sandrine. 'Michelle' was definitely more Jesse's style.

Speaking of, said boyfriend of hers had spontaneously begun singing (as he always does) from beside her. His smooth, velvety voice resounded coolly as he started the lyrics off with his eyes upon the camera.

"_**Michelle, my belle;**_

_**These are words that go together well;**_

_**My Michelle**_."

Rachel watched him sing before looking to the camera as well. "He's still in the 'Beatles' mood," she explained, feigning a whisper to the gadget.

A smirk tugged on one corner of his lips as he stood up and offered a hand to his beautiful girlfriend. Smiling cheekily, she received it daintily whilst rising to her feet in one fluid motion. Jesse swiftly pulled her into his arms as they began swaying where they stood, attempting a waltz (with much tinier steps due to the limited space).

"_**Michelle, my belle;**_

_**Sont des mots qui vont tres bien ensemble;**_

_**Tres bien ensemble**_."

He continued to sing effortlessly, the rise and fall of his voice matching each emotion the song required. The French rolled off his tongue seamlessly seeing as the language was practically second nature to him. Jesse lived in Paris for awhile as a kid and the language never really left him when he moved back to Ohio (plus, Madison enjoyed arguing with him in French because it sounded funnier for some reason).

Rachel tilted her head back to look up to him (as he was much taller than her) and smiled at the romanticism in his expression. Her lips parted as she began to harmonize perfectly with him (as usual).

"_**I love you,**_

_**I love you,**_

_**I love you;**_

_**That's all I want to say,**_

_**Until I find a way,**_

_**I will say the only words that I know that**_

_**You'll understand**_."

Their voices melded beautifully together and you get a gist of why they were objects of such heated arguments, forums and praise. Whenever Rachel and Jesse sang, it was romantic and enigmatic and hypnotizing... it was the pull and push of their tones; the up and down of their lilts; the rise and fall of her mezzo and his lyrical tenor... everything blended magically when they made music.

As Jesse stepped back to twirl her, Rachel grinned and shrugged, "Every time: this outfit," she sighed dreamily before stepping back into his awaiting arms. He laughed at her sudden statement and nodded down to her. "She's right," he drawled in agreement whilst addressing the viewers via the camera in front of them.

After a few moments of simple, blissful dancing, she looked up to her dance partner once more. "I think we've reached the end of Michelle's questions, haven't we?" she spoke wistfully at the fact that the current segment was over (for now).

"We have," he uttered with a soft half-smile as their steps slowed down to a stop so that they could speak to the camera, maintaining their positions in each others' arms.

"Michelle, thank you for sending in your questions. They were excellent and random and they totally brought back fond memories for us both," Rachel's voice was sweet as she beamed to the camera, speaking to Michelle wherever she may be.

"It was great to hear from you and we hope you along with everyone else, enjoyed our segment of answering Michelle (my belle)'s queries," Jesse spoke coolly, an amiable glint in his eye as he affirmed his sentence with a playful wink.

"I'm Rachel Berry..."

"And I'm Jesse St. James..."

"... Giving Michelle a shout out from our apartment in the beautiful city of New York. _Adiós, muchacha encantadora!_" both Rachel and Jesse spoke together as they waved goodbye to the camera.

Taking that as their cue to end, Jesse turned and scooped Rachel up into his strong arms without warning. Letting out a yelp of surprise, the brunette gasped out, "What are you doing?"

"Something I've wanted to do since that fourth question of hers," he smirked, allowing his eyes to blaze over hers with an unabashed want he unleashed now that they were alone (without the need of addressing a camera, that is).

Bringing her towards the direction of the bedroom, Rachel squealed out, "Turn the camera off! It has a microphone!" She had a feeling (from the way Jesse was looking at her) that things were going to get obstreperous (the last time he looked at her that way, even their neighbours needed a cigarette once they were done).

"We'll edit that later," he answered dismissively, kicking the bedroom door open as they disappeared from view.

Who knows? Maybe someone will get a hold of the _unedited _tape.

Just maybe.

* * *

**CUT**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. No, seriously, I REALLY do because I have some good news and some bad news to bestow upon you.**

**I'll start with the bad news first:**

**Firstly, I will not be accepting any more questions for Rachel and Jesse. I've closed the windows, so to speak.**

**Secondly, this will be my last update until December. *stands timidly as rocks begin to be thrown at her***

**I know, I know, I must sound like the worst, most horrible person alive right now. But, I have some really important exams coming up soon that require my full, undivided attention. These exams will determine my future and whether or not I can obtain scholarships to attain said future. I hope you guys understand. **

**The good news is:**

**I will be up and running again early December. I WILL continue answering the questions submitted in for Rachel and Jesse, do not fret. It's not like I've run out of muse or anything because that isn't the case at all.**

**ALSO...**

**I have a new St. Berry multi-chaptered story in store for all of you! The entire story is all figured out and will be up in December.**

**You all will get a taste of it (sort of like a trailer/preview) soon. I'll post the 'preview' in the next chapter of this story (When Rachel Met Jesse).**

**It's going to be fun, fresh and full of sexy!Jesse, adorable!Rachel and will definitely involve MORE of our favourite 'New Directions' members as well as all new 'Vocal Adrenaline' members. Remember Nick and Tristan? Even Madison will be in the mix! It's a whole new plot, people. So, get pumped for some good, old-fashioned teenage drama/comedy/romance.**

**Think of it this way: At least there's something to look forward to, guys! **

**Until next time, lovelies! (It won't be too long, if you think about it.)**

**Look out for the preview I'll be posting up really soon!**

**Much love,**

**Broadwaybuff.**


	13. PREVIEW

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT

Pairing: St. Berry, in all its sexually explosive glory.

Rating: K+ (definitely changes as the story progresses)

Preview (normal script is just an explanation and _italics are excerpts from the story_):

Jesse St. James and Rachel Berry could not have been more different. While he was the king of Carmel High; she was at the bottom of the social ladder on the other side of town. He was the "star of Vocal Adrenaline". She was the "loser who thought 'New Directions' was even remotely cool". Their paths weren't even supposed to cross, considering how contrasting their leagues were. Until one day...

* * *

_In the auditorium of Carmel High: _

"_We're __what__?" the team captain straightened up in his seat; a look of pure shock and disgust twisted into a snarl upon his handsome face._

_Shelby Corcoran didn't flinch. _

"_Due to our recent misfortune, we'll be holding our rehearsals at the Lima Youth Centre. It's going to be perfect and you're going to love it so much, you won't want to go home. The facilities are excellent and the management responsible for their stage are accommodating," the director paced in front of her students, hands poised upon her hips as she addressed each and every one of them sternly._

"_Miss Corcoran, with all due respect... __**Hold the phone and rewind, girl**__," Nick Mitchell's voice rose a few pitches towards the end of his sentence, still trying to absorb the information Shelby had sprung upon them just a mere day after they found their high school auditorium thoroughly trashed by rogue miscreants. _

"_We have to __**what**__?" Tristan's whiny, overweening voice broke into the discussion as he too needed clarification to precisely __what__ their superior had just said before her little spiel._

_

* * *

_

_In the choir room of William McKinley High School:_

"_We're sharing an auditorium with Vocal Adrenaline?" Rachel Berry squealed, barely allowing her (obviously) weary teacher to finish his previous sentence._

_Will Schuester smiled in her direction, seeing as she seemed to be the only enthusiastic one out of the twelve kids. "Yes. At the Youth Centre. We'll have to work out the scheduling, but we'll be ending up there together more often than not. Carmel High lets out at the same time as McKinley and..." he was interrupted unceremoniously by the uproar from the rest of the glee club._

"_This is bull, Mr. Schue! Those guys are only gonna sabotage our chances at Sectionals!" Finn roared, rising to his feet as to be properly heard by the curly-haired mentor. _

"_I hear they hold rituals every night before they go home. Smoke, mirrors, blood, the whole sha-bang," Kurt whispered conspirationally, his hand subconsciously resting against his throat in revoltion. _

_Catching the look of desperation/frustration on Mr. Schue's face, the brunette ingénue sprang to her feet and flitted to the front of the room. Clapping her hands quickly, she managed to catch their (begrudging) attention. _

"_You guys! Ms. Sylvester is never going to let us practice in peace while we're within her domain, (which is __the school__). And we have absolutely no time to battle her every attack because if we want to be the best, we have to __focus__ on what's important. So what if it's Vocal Adrenaline? Maybe we'll end up making friends with them! Right?"_

_

* * *

_

Negative.

Jesse and Rachel did everything wrong when it came to building even a semi-friendship.

* * *

"_I think singing takes heart and a certain innate originality very few people possess," Rachel spoke eloquently amongst the two rival show choir teams, knowing full well that public speaking was her niche._

"_Oh, please," came a sardonic voice from the middle of the seated Vocal Adrenaline crowd. _

_The brunette narrowed her eyes and turned to look at whoever dared interrupt the intro of her speech. She saw him. Jesse St. James. Tall, wavy brown hair, piercing hazel eyes and wearing a smirk that was both sexy and annoying as hell (in that very moment)._

"_Singing comes from pure talent, discipline, and the guts to do whatever it takes to be the best," he drawled easily as he leaned into his seat with what seemed to be a sense of entitlement in being there. _

_His gaze flickered to her before it went back to Shelby, whom had asked the question of "what is singing to you?", directing the said query to the entire room. She hadn't expected the respective team captains to suddenly ram horns in the midst of their first meeting together._

"_She..." Jesse smiled coolly to the now-furious Berry offspring (the very same he referred to as 'she'). "... probably thinks that singing Taylor Swift's 'Fifteen' is a rite of passage into the world of competitive music," he maintained that infuriatingly calm exterior of his as the rest of Vocal Adrenaline sniggered in amusement._

_Her jaw dropped. _

_Seriously. _

_Her mouth literally went agape in shock._

_How could such a boy affect her this way? No one __ever__ managed to render her speechless before. __NEVER._

_It was at that moment she decided she hated him._

_

* * *

_

Where could they possibly go from there?

We'll get to see the 'Vocal Adrenaline-New Directions' relationship evolve over time.

More importantly, see how their captains battle for dominance over territory. Witness the ferocity of 'Beastly Berry' and the ruthlessness of 'Savage St. James'.

Will you be Team Berry?

Or Team St. James?

There's a fine line between love and hate. Watch as our favourite duo tread that line of passion throughout the entire story as they move towards their respective 'Sectionals' competitions.

Conflict.

Friendship.

Sex.

It's all in 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot'.

* * *

"_I don't appreciate being manhandled, St. James," Rachel rasped as Jesse's figure towered over hers. He had her boxed in against the wall backstage with his strong arms (rather intimately) as everyone else was busy in the main hall of the auditorium._

_Shrinking against the wall, she lifted her chin defiantly and stared right back into his eyes. They were both breathing heavily at the lack of oxygen between their close proximity._

_Rachel caught the flicker of excitement within his hazel eyes, prompting a funny, little feeling in the pit of her stomach. She found herself secretly thrilled at their current predicament... even more so at not knowing what was going to happen next. _

_Jesse's pillow-soft lips parted as he inched his face even closer to hers (if that was even possible). She tried hard not to breathe too shakily at the reaction her body gave, totally betraying her head (which was trying __so__ hard to remind the girl, "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HATE HIM, RACHEL!")._

"_I take it you haven't been handled by the right man."_

_Oh. Sweet. God._

_

* * *

_

Catch the whole story as it starts in December.

Add 'broadwaybuff' to your Author Alerts list and be the first to read it.

Leave a review and tell me what you think! ;)


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